Private/Closed Ambrose Academia

[kageyama]

With heightened awareness, the interruption and noise that cut through Areum’s reading caused her to wince. She glanced around at the noise of shouting, following the direction of the noises. When she discovered the creators of the noise, Areum stifled a huff and stayed concealed behind thrushes of trees. Watching Luca outburst, Areum couldn’t help but pity him for being foolish. Knowing she wouldn’t have time to grab a teacher to disperse the upcoming fight, she silently flipped through her book. She saw this as an opportunity to test her newfound skills and to stop the noise so she could further study.

She quietly set her books down on a stump, then inhaled. Imagining her desired weapon, Areum closed her eyes for several moments. When she opened them, a bow - glitching and somewhat fuzzy - rest in her hand. Stuffing back her excitement, she thought of a set of arrows to go with it. They, too, appeared in a buggy fashion, but still appeared nonetheless. With precision, Areum took an arrow and set the other illusions on the ground. Then, with the bow, she strung it back and aimed for the shoulder of Luca. Because it was her first - and a pretty weak - attempt, it wouldn’t cause too much harm. Areum let go of the arrow, and it swiftly spiraled towards him, disappearing and reappearing via its glitchiness. It obviously hit him, because within seconds Luca yelped with a surprised and stung tone. Feeling proud of herself, Areum scooped up her supplies and allowed the bow and arrows to dissipate.

Albeit that Areum was no fan of Kenji, she was no fan of Luca either, and hoped that Kenji would seize the moment to finish the spar quickly.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Luca yelped in pain as his shoulder was struck by some kind of projectile. Turning in the direction it had come from, Kenji noticed Areum, looking quite proud of herself. He made eye contact with her, shrugged, and turned his attention back to the fight. Seizing this opportunity to end the whole ordeal, Kenji lunged forward and delivered a powerful knee to his torso, following up with a flip over the shoulder. Luca was slammed onto the ground, winded and bruised up, and he groaned in pain as he laid there, unable to move. Kenji crouched down to make eye contact with Luca and flicked his forehead once. "That's 0 for 3 now, Luca. Better luck next time." He stood back up and headed over to Areum, giving her a curt wave. "Thanks for the assist, but I had that under control, you know."

 

[kageyama]

Books in her arms, Areum rolled her eyes. “If I’m quite honest, it was more of a practice for myself,” Areum said, slightly defensively. She studied eye contact with him for another second before turning around and opening one of her books once again, reading it as she walked forward and stopped in the space she resided in previously. Areum rocked on her heels before closing the page and looking to towards the direction she came into the woods from. She glanced at Kenji once more before exiting the gathering of trees and finding her way back to the hotel. It was about noon, so lunch within the provision of the school would be served shortly. Because she likely wouldn’t eat it, Areum stayed in her room and lay on her bed, skimming through her books.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji watched as Areum disappeared into the dense forest and headed off in his own path back to his room. Luca was out of sight; one of his friends must have noticed and pulled him out. Once Kenji arrived at his room, he sat down in the center and began meditating, this time focusing on unleashing as much force as possible through his aura. After a deep breath, Kenji flared up his aura with immense strength as waves of deep bronze energy rippled from where he sat. The room began to shake as he pushed the boundaries of how much energy he could use, and after holding that state for a few minutes, Kenji collapsed, gasping for air as his aura dissipated around him. Damn, probably best to use that as a last resort.

 

[kageyama]

The rest of the day was one of relaxation for many. Areum spent just about all of it studying, then taking a shower, and finally going to bed. The next day, however, was a totally different change of pace in comparison. All students were awoken at 7:30 in the morning, and called out for team exercises. Areum, feeling much more well-rested, came out of the building with her hair in a half-ponytail and an outfit that easily could have been a uniform. As all of the students gathered together, Ms. Spruce cleared her throat. “Good morning, and attention to all students. Today will consist of another sparring tournament,” she said loudly. Areum tapped her foot a few times at the mention of the previous tournament. “However, today will be about team building. You’ll be places in pairs, and set of to spar other pairs. The tournament winners will receive an array of small prizes.” Ms. Spruce went on to list the pairs of students.

“Kenji Miura and Areum Cricket,” she said loudly. Whispers among students travelled around. Areum kept an unphased composure, though she was inwardly cursing. Their first round as a team would be commencing after a few other matches.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji showed up to the gathering in a white hoodie and black athletic shorts, despite the chilly weather. When it was revealed who his partner was, he made no reaction, unlike everyone around the two. That's the one who threw the match. Didn't he win all the fights with a single hit though? They probably won't work together that well. A great deal of whispering could be heard around him, but Kenji paid no heed as he walked over to stand next to Areum. "What a coincidence." He put his hands in his pockets as the matches progressed, though the student didn't pay much attention.

 

[kageyama]

Arms crossed, Areum stifled a snort as Kenji approached her. She pinched the bridge of her nose, whispers sharply filling her ears. Softly blowing out air, she shook her head and continued watching the match. When it was over, it signaled the beginning of Areum and Kenji’s match, which was against a stout male and a tall female. From what Areum has inferred, the male had the ability to wield a weak poison, and the female contained the power of controlling electricity to an extent. Areum looked at Kenji from the corner of her eye. “Which one do you want?” she asked, teeth slightly gritted.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji scanned the two opponents he and Areum would be facing and shrugged. "I guess I can take the electric girl. She'll probably try to take shots at us from a far, so I'll get in close and throw her off. The poison guy probably won't be able to do anything but stay where he is and shoot acid at you, so use that to your advantage; lower his awareness and go in for the hit." Flaring up his aura, Kenji lunged at the girl who could manipulate electricity and aimed a powerful right hook at her torso. However, Harper Fleming-- the girl-- had stopped his attack with an electrical charged fist. She smirked at him. "You're not the only speedy one here." Suddenly, a huge discharge of electricity coursed through his body, originating from Harper's palm. "Hey, you're kinda cute; maybe we should go out sometime," She chimed sweetly as she continued to unleash her barrage of electricity. Wincing just the smallest bit, Kenji chuckled softly. "I'll respectfully decline." After breaking free from Harper's grip, he stepped back, electricity still coursing through his body. Suddenly getting an idea, Kenji flared up his aura and weaved it around him to fuse with the electricity in his body. Suddenly, his aura now took on a bright blue color as the same colored lightning danced around him. Kenji examined his new ability and chuckled before turning to face Harper. "Well, would ya' look at that." With even faster speed than before, he dashed forward and launched a flurry of attacks at Harper, who didn't have enough time to counter the attack. Ending it with a right hook to the temple, the girl fell to the ground, unconscious.

 

[kageyama]

Grudgingly, Areum accepted his advice and stood before the stout boy ahead of her. As Kenji and Harper battled out, Areum brushed her hair behind her shoulder. “I suppose it’s time to beat you,” she declared to the boy. He, Nikolai Rutt, scoffed and flexed his fingers. With confidence, the male sprayed an oozing poison from his fingertips directly at Areum. Feeling triumphant for what supposedly hit her, Nikolai crossed his arms. “Too easy,” he announced.

“It really is, isn’t it?” Areum agreed with him from behind. He jumped, and turned around with surprise. He met eye to eye with Areum, who was wearing a technical-looking knuckle ring on her right fist. As Nikolai was clearly in a state of disbelief, Areum jutted a swift punch into his nose, then quickly pulled her arm back. The boy toppled over, and Areum let the ring dissipate from her hand. Her way of winning had been incredibly simple: lower the awareness to a large extent, replicate herself, and sneak up behind him while waiting for him to notice. Dusting her hands off, Areum kept a concentrated stare at Nikolai. Ms. Spruce quickly clapped her hands once, signaling the end of the match. Students murmured with a shift of surprise.

Areum stepped off the field as Nikolai was hoisted away for recuperation. She crossed her arms as she awaited for the next match to begin - to which her and Kenji would be sparring once again after it.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

As Kenji and Areum swiftly climbed up the tournament bracket, the final match was set to begin. It would be him and Areum against Luca Spritsfeld and Yanas Gregorien. As the teams made their way to their side of the field, Ms. Spruce clapped once, signalling the start of the match. "Hey, punk," Luca barked out to Kenji. "You better not throw this time! I'm gonna give you a proper beating." Kenji grinned and nodded. "Sure, go ahead." Luca fired a volley of sharp icicles at him as Kenji harnessed his electric aura. Shattering the icicles with ease, Kenji dashed towards Luca, not as quickly though just to humor him, and he aimed a right hook to the jaw as a feint. Luca took the bait and attempted to duck underneath, but he was stopped by a swift knee to the nose. Cursing in pain, Luca seethed and attempted to land a hit on Kenji, but to no avail. After a few more dodges, Kenji sighed and lunged forward, stopped Luca's incoming left hook with one hand, and stuck two fingers up Luca's nose with the other. Kenji smiled with mock sweetness as he then unleashed a barrage of electricity, coursing through Luca's body. Once Kenji was done, the poor kid slumped to the ground, unconscious. Dusting himself off, he then waited for Areum, willing to help should she ever ask for it.

 

[kageyama]

Seeing the irony in the situation, Areum exhaled a laugh. While Luca and Kenji were talking it up, Areum shared a smile with Yanas - who she had known for quite awhile and had no real tension between him. “Good luck,” Areum told him, to which he nodded. Then, the pair sank back in ready positions. Aware of the fact that Yanas was familiar with her ability, Areum planned her attacks. Yanas leapt forward with wolf-like strengths, swinging his fist in attempt to get a blow to Areum’s collarbone. To avoid it, Areum duck and jumped back, quickly conjuring up a set of glitching throwing stars. Closing one eye for accuracy, she threw one with high speed, aiming for Yanas’ leg. It was a successful hit, and the star disappeared as it passed through him.

Yelling in pain, Yanas stumbled down. Areum, taking advantage of the moment, lowered his consciousness and created an illusion of herself before him. Similar to her first spar, she crept up behind him, spawned a club, and took a deep breath. “Sorry, pal,” she smiled with sympathy, then rutted the hand of the club into the back of Yana’s neck. He was knocked out cold, and Areum let all illusions disappear. Students watching that were edge couldn’t help but cheer for Kenji and Areum in their win.

The injured students were hustled to recovery, and Areum and Kenji were both given medals. Areum pinched the bridge of her nose in attempt to stifle the growing headache she was experiencing. Brushing off any signs of discomfort, Areum turned to Kenji. “Nice job,” she said shortly.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji looked around as students he didn't know cheered for their victory, and he nodded towards Areum in response to what she said. "Likewise." Ms. Spruce clapped once to quiet down the crowd before announcing, "The time is 10:30; you have about 6 hours to relax or hone your skills, and starting at 4:30, we will have a party out in the pavilion. Dismissed." Kenji listened silently, and when the announcement was over, he turned to glance at Areum. "Illusion weapons, huh? Interesting."

 

[kageyama]

A bit taken aback by Kenji’s inquiry, Areum blinked. Then, glancing aside, she nodded shortly. “Yeah. I’m still figuring them out,” she returned, slightly unsure of what to say. After a pause of silence, Areum spoke up once again, staring ahead of her. “What about you? The entire electricity spiel was new, was it not?” She crossed her arms and looked at Kenji from the corner of her eye with a sense of faint curiosity.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji shrugged before responding, "Yeah; just an idea I had while sparring against Harper. I basically just fused my aura with the lightning she blasted into me to enhance its strength. Not only that, now I have a lot more avenues in which to use my aura. I'm gonna see if I can break the connection and maybe fuse my aura to something else later." The two stood in silence for a few more seconds until Kenji got an idea. He wasn't sure if Areum would agree, but it was worth a shot. "Maybe we can go out into a clearing somewhere and help each other hone our new skill. What do you think?"

 

[kageyama]

Areum eyed him for a moment before hesitantly responding. “...I suppose there’s no harm in training,” she said slowly. Areum began walking towards the abundance of trees and the place she had practiced in before. This is... new, she concluded in her mind as she walked. Not long after heading to the clearing, Areum stood in the middle of the large area and dusted off her skirt. She turned around to face Kenji, who she assumed trailed behind her as she walked. “I don’t know how you want to do any of this, so I’ll let you decide what you mean,” she said shortly, crossing her arms.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji followed her into the clearing and put his hands in his pockets. "Well, first, you're not gonna work on your weapon illusions." He then got into a casual fighting stance. "First thing you're going to do is try and touch one of my shoulders. No powers, no illusions. Just physical combat skills. From what I've seen, using your ability for too long takes a toll on you, so you're going to have to learn not to rely on that too much." His remarks were rather sharp, but Kenji knew that this would help later in the long run.

 

[kageyama]

Areum narrowed her eyes with a bit of intuition, but listened to him nonetheless. As he readied in a fighting stance, Areum made sure to leave her awareness at its default level. Slowly, she stepped towards him and studied him for a moment. She wasn’t positive on whether or not he’d be trying to defend his shoulder, so she simply reached out to tap him in order to figure out if he’d be correcting her.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji sighed as he watched Areum simply reach out and try to tap him on the shoulder. Lunging forward, he grabbed her by the wrist and twisted it the other way, but not hard enough to break it, before grabbing her shoulder with his other arm and hooking a leg around the back of her foot, sweeping her off the ground. He tapped her nose once and stepped back, folding his arms. "You're gonna have to be a bit more creative than that. Use momentum to your advantage, even my own."

 

[kageyama]

Saw that coming. Areum mentally murmured. She straightened herself up, dusting off her outfit, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. As much as it frustrates her that he was “teachings her, she was grateful deep down for the guidance. With a blank expression, Areum inhaled and focused on his left shoulder, insinuating that that was her target. Quickly, she rushed in the direction of said shoulder. As she reached him, she did her best to grab his left wrist and turn it back, then quickly sidestep behind him and tap his right shoulder.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Once Areum had grabbed his wrist, Kenji launched his counter attack, grabbing her forearm with his left hand and the back of her shirt collar with his right, flipping her over and onto the ground face up. He tapped her nose once more and stepped back. "Now we're getting somewhere. Also, you're free to attack me. Punch, kick, do whatever you can to tap my shoulder, but no illusions or awareness shift." Kenji got back into his casual stance, waiting for Areum's next move.

 

[kageyama]

The wind was knocked out of her body as Kenji tossed her down. This really needs to stop happening, Areum cursed inwardly. Sitting up, she scrunched her nose up at Kenji, then pushed herself off the ground. Taking her half-ponytail out, Areum turned around and put her hair into a regular ponytail. Then, she turned to face him once again. With a bit of a glare, Areum charged at him and pulled her arm back to give the intention of punching Kenji right away. But before she were to hit him, she brought her arm back and grabbed his right arm, pulling it back. In case he were to grab her with his left hand, Areum ducked and jutted her foot out to “wrap” it around Kenji’s foot and trip him if he were to step. Then, she stood up quickly and attempted to flick his left shoulder.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Hm, we'll see how this plays out. Kenji was tripped by Areum's foot and fell back, but just as she reached out to flick his shoulder, he rolled back out of reach and did a kip up, planting both feet into Areum's stomach in full dropkick fashion. Knocking her to the ground, he touched his palm to her cheek a few times playfully... before tapping her on the nose. "Footwork is rather sloppy. If you have good footwork, you can turn around any situation." Kenji stepped back and folded his arms. "Might have to bring out the speed ladders sometime later."

 

[kageyama]

Areum scarfed down the urge to cough out her stomach. After sitting up, Areum crossed her legs and looked off to the side. Her ears were growing flushed, slightly from embarrassment. “Then show me how to improve it all,” she challenged in a soft voice, eyes focusing on some leaves on the ground. Areum was mildly frustrated in herself for being unable to land the correct move-set.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji grinned as he shrugged. "Okay, then. I'll go on the offensive now, so watch my footwork, analyze my fighting style, and anticipate my next move. When fighting in close quarters, the main thing to focus on is disruption. If you can disrupt their moves, you can throw them off balance." He lunged forward and stepped in, getting close to Areum before throwing an elbow attack to her left shoulder to shift her balance and following up by grabbing her right arm and.. flipping her over. "I'll bet you're not used to people getting in close like that. You need to be able to adapt to any move and launch a counter attack in the blink of an eye. For example, when I stepped in, you had an opportunity to stop my elbow and tap my shoulder. Decisions like that can turn the tide of a fight."

 

[kageyama]

Areum was getting fatigued from the amount of times her back hit the ground. She blew some flyaways from her ponytail out of her face as she stood up, growing more irked by the second. Squaring her shoulders back to stretch, Areum sank back into an inviting and defensive position. She was determined not to break her spine that day, and carefully watched for Kenji to charge at her in any kind of way.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji watched as Areum got into a defensive position, and he took a small breath before lunging forward yet again. This time, he decided to change things up and started with a wrist grab. He then followed up by aiming a kick at her shin, sweeping her off the ground and about to fall face-down. He then grabbed the back of her neck and kept an arm on her wrist as he pinned her to the ground. "Now, how could you have countered that?"

 

[kageyama]

By kicking you in the - no, I can’t say that. Areum thought for a second. “By preventing the kick overall potentially with some sort of jab to, maybe, your shoulder or an area that stabilizes equilibrium,” she said, half-guessing. She covered her eyes with her free hand and blew out air. Then, uncovering her face, she stared up at Kenji for a moment and tried to yank her wrist free.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji nodded and released his hold on Areum’s wrist. “See? Look at that; you’re already learning.” With a single pull, Kenji helped Areum to her feet and began walking away. “After the trip, meet me in the same place we sparred after school. We’ll continue your training then.” He put his hands in his pockets as he began to walk to his room. “See you at the party later.” (I love short posts :^) )

 

[kageyama]

Areum watched as Kenji walked away, care-free. “Thanks,” she mumbled almost inaudibly. Then, she trailed behind him after several moments and head to her own room. There, she curled up on her bed and allowed herself a minute or two of relaxation. However, she quickly pushed herself up and entered the bathroom of her room to shower off all of the dirt that was likely all over her.

When she got out of the shower, she dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt with white tempo shorts, then promptly sprawled out on her bed with her set of books. She read until her roommate entered the room the let her know the party would be starting. Areum slid of the bed, tucked her hair behind her ear, and slipped into white sneakers. Then, she followed the girl to the pavilion, where two buffet tables were set up. Areum grabbed herself a juice-box, which fit right in her hand, and seated herself on one of the provided chairs. Her attention span was at a fairly low level as she glanced around at her surroundings.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji had shown up late to the party, though he didn’t really care. He came dressed in a black hoodie and navy jeans, and taking a cold bottle of ginger ale. Taking a small sip, he walked around the pavilion grounds, ignoring other students. It was a pretty chilly night, but Kenji had always preferred colder weather. Multiple booths with carnival games were set up, and there were kids playing cornhole or soccer in the fields. After downing the rest of his ginger ale, Kenji threw the empty bottle away and took a seat on a small bench, taking some time to enjoy the scenery of the camp around him.

 

[kageyama]

After several minutes of boredly sitting around, Areum stood up, dusted off her shorts, and tossed her juice box away. Deciding to get a quieter breath of air, Areum head back into the building and grabbed the book she was so invested in. Then, she exited her room, and glanced around the halls. Though the entirety of students were staying on one floor, there were a few vacant ones above theirs. So, Areum locates an elevator, went to the highest floor, and climbed a set of steps onto the roof from there. She easily could’ve found solace within her room or even the clearing in the woods, but she still wanted to see the view of the party occurring.

Areum sat down and leaned back on her hands, looking up. There was a bit of a breeze that cooled her down, which was refreshing to a good extent. After admiring the sky for some moments, she set her book in her lap, propped her head on her hand, and paid attention only to the words on the page.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Having felt a certain compunction to go sightseeing, Kenji stood from his seat and walked to the dormitory building. Taking the elevator and climbing the stairs to the roof of the building, he emerged from the gate leading to the stairs onto the roof and took a deep breath. The cold breeze up here felt crisper and more refreshing. Kenji looked around and noticed none other than Areum, invested in her book per usual. He sighed and took the seat next to her and leaned back. “Crazy how we keep running into each other like this.” His breath came out as visible fog against the cold air as he spoke.

 

[kageyama]

Areum looked to her side and couldn’t help but smile softly. “Yeah, it’s all a coincidental mess,” she said, turning her direction to look down at the pavilion. Her nose and ears were flushed from the air that nipped at them. There was a moment of silence before Areum spoke. “Thank you for offering to teach me in fighting,” she said, looking at him once again. Areum then did something she never would’ve expected of herself - she reached out and tapped on Kenji’s nose, similar to how he had done it several times during her practicing.

Almost immediately, Areum pulled her hand back and scooted away, stumbling to stand up. “Sorry, I - um, I don’t know why, ah..” she stammered, tucking her hair behind her ears as she stood. “I, uh, I should go, sorry,” Areum spluttered and started off for the stairs.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kenji shrugged and responded. "No problem. Just wanted to help, I guess." He had to admit: he was surprised at what happened next when Areum reached out and tapped him on the nose, but not as surprised as he was after seeing her reaction. Watching her stumble off towards the stairs, he simply said with a dumbfounded tone, "Uh, okay. See you tomorrow." Once she had left, he turned around and looked up at the stars, watching small specks of light illuminate the dark evening sky. That was.. odd, to say the least.

 

[kageyama]

Areum gripped her books with confusion as she quickly ran down the stairs and towards the elevator. Her heart was beating quickly when the door opened and she quickly went to enter her room. Briskly shutting the door behind her, she leaned back on it and stared ahead, trying to process her reasoning for touching Kenji’s nose. She couldn’t come up with an explanation she liked, so she tossed herself on her bed and stared upwards, mind blank. It wasn’t a huge deal, so why does it feel like a huge deal?

Taking a deep breath, Areum sighed squeezed her eyes shut, powering her alertness down. Aimlessly, she pulled her knees to her chest and looked out of the window, watching students mingle around. Not feeling up for interaction, Areum spent the rest of the evening by occasionally flipping open a book and skimming through channels that the building provided on the TV. She went to bed somewhat early, then.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

After a few more minutes of stargazing, Kenji looked over the balcony, noticing that the party was over and everybody was making their way back to their dorm rooms. He sighed and took the elevator to his floor and went into his room, changing into a sleeveless shirt and athletic shorts. Laying out his outfit for the next day on his desk, Kenji then packed everything up, as this was the last night they'd be staying. Once he was finished, he washed up and climbed into bed, dozing off rather quickly, though the ordeal on the roof between him and Areum lingered on his mind.

The next morning, he rose from his daily meditation and threw on his outfit he planned the night before-- a black hoodie and black jeans-- before leaving for the main building, where all students were to meet. After listening to a brief explanation of the itinerary from Ms. Spruce, Kenji boarded a charter bus and took a seat at the back, waiting for the bus to depart.

 

[kageyama]

Areum woke pretty early, still in her attire from the previous day’s evening. Her roommate was dozing off besides her as she rummaged through her bag for an outfit. In the restroom, she changed into a white and black color-blocked long-sleeve shirt, short and high waisted red shorts, and the same white sneakers from the previous day. Brushing through her hair, she tidied up her side of the room and zipped up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. After double checking that she had everything, Areum head outside with a yawn and stepped onto one of the buses. In the back, she caught attention of Kenji, but she briefly stepped into a seat near the front and sat down rather quickly.

Areum pushed the previous evening out of her mind, knowing that she couldn’t let it distract her during her training. Though there was no school for the day when they got back, Areum still fretted that she’d be thinking of the incidence on Monday. Shaking her head swiftly, the buses filled up and the departure back home began. Areum spent the ride pressed against the window while reading quietly.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Soon, the buses arrived back at Ambrose Academy, and students began filing out of the bus to head home. Kenji started on his normal route home, passing the clearing in which he had sparred against Areum. Areum. The mention of her infiltrated his thoughts, and Kenji didn't know why she was beginning to take so much priority in his mind. It had started ever since the training they did at camp yesterday, but as dense as he was, Kenji didn't see the relevance in that. Standing in the clearing, he soon found himself lost in thought, something that rarely happened to him. What's going on with me?

 

[kageyama]

Areum was hasty to get off of the bus when it came to a halt. She stuffed her book in her bag and jogged out, then hurriedly paced to her home. Afterwards the weekend went by rather quickly, and the weekdays became harder to deal with. At every practice, Areum found herself wincing and feeling as if flames were engulfing her face. She would look away any time Kenji would get somewhat closer, and afterwards in her home, she would fight the urge to hit her head against the wall. Areum started out with confusion in what she felt, but as the days went on, she came to the realization.

On Friday, in the clearing after school, Areum stood in a somewhat bouncy offensive position. Her heart thumped when Kenji approached her, then placed his hands on her shoulders to shift her balance. The interaction sent a shiver up Areum’s spine, and she immediately flinched away from him, stepping backwards with rosy cheeks. Clenching her fists and staring down Areum snapped. “I can’t - I can’t do this!” the girl said loudly, eyes gazing at her feet. “Every time you look at me, my.. my heart goes -,” Areum waved her arms around in favor of explaining how it felt. “When you touch my shoulders or even my hand, I can’t think! I - I hate it, and I hate that I like you!” she shouted, eyes squeezed shut with her head hung low. As silence surrounded her, she opened her eyes and realized that rant that she spewed had actually happened. Face flushed with several different emotions, Areum quickly picked up her bag and turned to leave with an instability she had never felt before.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

One Friday, during practice, Kenji had tried to adjust Areum's center of gravity in an attempt to get her into a better, more comfortable fighting stance. Of course, to say that he was rather surprised to hear the confession in her outburst that followed could very well be the understatement of the century, but that's when it hit him. In all honesty, ever since he had started helping her, or even interacting with her in some way, he lost his normal focus, and he had no idea why. Once he had heard her confession, Kenji came to accept the clear truth.. the feeling was mutual. Watching as Areum began to leave, face deeply flushed, he knew that it was now or never. Reaching forward, the teen grabbed her shoulder, spun her around to face him, and leaned forward to lock his lips with hers, pulling her into a hug as he did so. Was he out of his mind? Perhaps. He didn't care. (REEEEEEEEEEE)