We are undone by the blood

Yesterday, she sparked something inside of him. He had kissed Zansu as he had done before. But something about seeing Asuka right after made him feel... off. She seemed so distant from him when she presented herself to them both while they were in the academy. It was especially concerning how, just the night before, they had slept in the same bed together and eaten breakfast together the morning after. But yet, for some reason, he cared that she was distant. It was almost as if he had lingering feelings about that interaction. But all he did was kiss someone else; it's not like they were exclusive, hell they weren't even together!

He walked to the training academy, figuring it would be the best place for them to have their spar. His movements were slow, but not calculated like they usually were. Today he was not feeling himself. He felt a longing in his heart, a longing for Asuka. But it wasn't the typical longing that he was used to, it had almost nothing to do with his sexual and physical attraction to her. What he was longing for was the morning when they had woken up next to each other, him making her breakfast and them eating it together because she didn't allow him to skip meals. He longed for her presence, for her sweetness. The soft, malleable lamb that he had been hunting had somehow caught him in the very trap he had set for her. His heart was being torn into too many places that he couldn't quite gather his footing.

The time that they had spent together doing their missions. When she cut her hand open, and he licked the blood, tasting her for the first time, the mere thought of his caused him a raw and primal excitement. Her blood was the sweetest he had ever tasted, but could that be the reason why he was feeling this longing? He hadn't been thinking about her blood; he hadn't been thinking about her organs, and he didn't even have his eyes activated to where he could see them. There was something else about her that seemed to have him in a chokehold.

It was the look of heartbreak when she saw him with Zansu, she must have seen them kiss. She acted so differently yesterday when she came to the training grounds. It killed him to remember how she had been so indifferent to him. But why was this even a problem? He had the attention of plenty of women throughout the entire village, what was so important about hers?

He thought about the challenge that she had offered him. She wanted to fight all of a sudden? She was beginning to make him nervous. He couldn't quite tell what was going on in her brain, making him feel a bit uneasy. But why was he feeling so uneasy? It's just another woman, right? His brain was flooded with the thought of her, the night they spent together watching TV. He put her to bed, the smell of her blood. The feeling of her skin against his lips made his knees slightly weak. He was so close to her blood, could practically taste it on his lips already, but yet, he pulled himself away.

She didn't fight him; she was complicit in what he wanted, but he hadn't asked her. Communication and consent were massive for him, even if he did slip last night. Even with his code of ethics, he was beginning to slip around this woman. He started to do warm-ups in the training grounds; he couldn't quite place just what was happening to him. He was losing control over himself, and it was all because of Asuka. He couldn't remember what he was feeling, but whatever he was feeling, they were strong emotions.

His conflicted mind did what it could to focus on the task at hand, that of trying to train, but he found himself more often than not spacing out; his footwork could have been better; his mind just wasn't in it. He decided to give up on his warm-ups and wait for Asuka; maybe if he saw her, he would feel better. But for now, he was in a complete tailspin.

WC: 711

After Asuka had finished tending to her duties at the hospital she would make her way back to her parents home. She would inform them that she wasn’t going to be able to make it to work the next morning, and apologized profusely to them. Thankfully her parents seemed more concerned as to why she was missing work, and not her being absent in general. Asuka never lied to her parents, but she now found herself doing so. Her mother's brother had passed away while tending to village duties, so she had always been concerned for Asuka when she started showing interest in fighting. This unfortunately lead to Asuka not receiving much training regarding the finer shinobi arts. She simply would tell her mother that the hospital requested that she come in to help with a few cases in the morning. Her parents would believe the lie and praise her for being such a helpful member of the community.

As she left, the cheery demeanor she had on while interacting with her family would drop. The comforting and pleasant aura surrounding her would change to a rather cold and closed-off state. She normally would be afraid to walk the streets this late at night, but she felt a sense of security and confidence that rarely blazed inside of her. Was she mad? Yes, the immense dread that weighed heavily in her heart was fueling her raging inferno. She felt as if the night she had shared with Akira would have stopped him from engaging in such activities, especially with somebody like Zansu who she had been so close to. None of her anger or resentment fell on Zansu however, as she didn’t know what had transpired just the night before. Asuka felt like a fool to not have believed the rumors behind Akira’s and Zansu’s past flings, though they apparently kept it well hidden from her.

She couldn’t understand why she felt so afflicted by the scene she had previously witnessed. Akira had always flirted with other women in front of her, though even then she would be upset by his display. He must have been toying with her, seeing how far he could get without pushing her boundaries to the limit. Was the night they shared nothing but another memory to him? She’d let these thoughts race through her brain unimpeded as she made her way back home.

Knowing she wasn’t going to be sleeping tonight, she pulled a beautiful glass bottle from one of her cabinets filled with some liquor she purchased from the bar a few weeks prior. Taking a seat on her couch, bottle in hand, she’d begin to plan how to best prepare for tomorrow. After obtaining a slight buzz, she decided to do a bit of training. She previously had read some books at the campus about different tai techniques, and decided she would attempt to try out some of the ones she memorized.

Now focused on training, the thoughts of the situation with Akira would leave her mind. She spent the rest of her night attempting to prepare herself, she hadn’t worked out in so long, and due to that she needed to take periodic breaks. The morning quickly came as she saw the sun peek in through her curtains. Upon realizing this, she would search through her closet to find the proper attire. Finally finding something suitable, she’d begin to prepare both her and Akira a simple breakfast. Even though she was upset with him, he was still her friend and she cared about his well-being.

Quickly she made her way to the training grounds, hoping she wouldn’t leave him waiting too long. While walking she would internally count her steps, using that to disrupt the thoughts about the situation she now found herself in. Soon she found herself at the training grounds and began looking for him. Thankfully his red hair caused him to stand out nearly everywhere, so she was easily able to find him.

She'd call out to him as she walked forward, wanting to make her presence known. As he looked at her, he would see a very different Asuka than ever before. Her long hair was pulled into a sleek high pony tail, usually there would be a few stray hairs lingering in her face but this time it looked as if everything was perfectly placed. She looked to be wearing a pristine white wrap dress that tightly hugged her chest and waist that was held together with a black underbust corset. The dress looked to be multi layered, but had slits up each side of her legs allowing her to move unimpeded. Under her dress she wore a skin tight body suit made from a black stretchy material that stopped at the top of her thighs. Also she wore matching white high socks that went halfway up her thigh. For shoes she wore a pair of white and gold boots that stopped a little below her knee.

Soon she’d be find herself standing infront of him, she’d smile pleasantly as she normally would but there was a bit of emptiness behind her cheery disposition. Though her outfit looked meticulously put together, small bags were beginning to form under her eyes.

”Good morning Akira… I hope you slept well, are you excited for our spar?”

She would hold out a small container of food for him to take, then would promptly sit roughly arms length away from him before opening up the one she prepared herself.

WC:922

He would lean against the wall of the training center, he would have his face in his hands as he continued to ponder everything that he was feeling. He couldn't bring himself to look around, he couldn't even pick up his blade any longer. Why was he feeling this way? Did that night with Asuka mean something more than his normal nightly fling? I mean surely she didn't think of him as anything more than a friend? Maybe a protector. But truly there wasn't more to what they were than that... right?

His train of thought would be brought to a screeching halt when he heard a very familiar voice calling his name across the training grounds. His head would shoot up and he would see his darling Asuka walking straight for him. He would leap to his feet, and he would speak to her in a rather different tone than his usual flamboyant nature. He would walk up to, and attempt to give her a hug, but she would decline the hug and instead hand him his food. He felt... fear.

He did notice what she had been wearing, his knees were weak at the sight of such a revealing nature within the clothes. His mind rushed to thoughts of tearing it off of her. He remembered the night that they shared just two nights ago. He had nights similar to that with many women, women of all shapes and sizes and all matter of social class. Similar in the fact that he would lie in bed with them, kiss them, do all types of adult activities with them. But every night with them paled in comparison in his mind. To him, they didn't even grant him the sense of momentary bliss, they were forgotten the moment he would leave, sometimes before that. But his Asuka was something else entirely.

He had been obsessing over her, and originally he thought it was the blood. She was first woman that tasted that he felt intoxicated by. Her blood was sweet, without a hint of sourness. There was just something about her that drove him wild. But he hadn't been thinking about her blood. Instead, he had been thinking about the times that he had bridal carried her through the village, her head pressed against his chest while they would lie on the couch and watch TV. But more than anything he would think of that night they spent together. The feeling of her skin pressed against his bare torso, when he would bite her neck, she would run her fingers through his hair. It was truly intoxicating, bringing him to a state of such bliss that he didn't think was possible for him.

When he spoke he would say, "Oh my darling. I am so happy to see you. I've been truly looking forward to our spar, but I wanted nothing more than to see you more yesterday, but when you had left you seemed... different. I wasn't sure if you needed space or not. So I wanted to ask... Is everything okay, my darling? I must say I've been quite concerned about you."  He would speak in a slightly more hushed tone, full of concern and a hint of fear and distress. He would hope that she would relieve him of his fears. But for now, he would await what she would say to him in reponse.

WC: 568

After handing him the food container, Asuka would open hers up, grab a small pastry from inside, and place it in her mouth. He’d begin inquiring about what was going on with her, telling her that he was “quite concerned” about her. She couldn’t stop herself from letting out a bit of a chuckle as he questioned her. He didn’t seem so concerned for her when she saw the interaction between him and Zansu, so it was a bit funny that now he seemingly cared. At this moment she wanted to scream at him, tell him about how he hurt her. She knew however that it would accomplish nothing, for now she needed to simply focus on winning this spar. He may have hurt her emotionally, but today she’d be gifting him the pain that he frequently sought after.

Once he finished speaking Asuka would take a moment to finish chewing, letting his inquires linger for a little while. As she responded, she’d slur her words slightly and spoke in an exhausted but annoyed-sounding voice.

”I’ve just been working a lot, so I’m rather tired. I apologize for running off yesterday so quickly, like I had said I was needed at the hospital to pick up a shift. I assure you, I’ll be fine.

This was a rather obvious lie, anyone who looked at her could see that her mental state had drastically changed however she didn’t feel inclined to tell him the real reason behind her distress. Turning her gaze away from him she would close up the container of food, then put it off to the side away from where the spar would begin. Stumbling slightly, she walked back to where the spar would take place and began to speak once more. Her pleasant demeanor now changed to emotionless as she focused on the task at hand. She could think of nothing else other than proving she was more than capable without his aid. Asuka was over being his “little lamb” and she was eager to show him so.

”Do you need a moment to warm up, or are you ready now? I’d like to not spend all day here as I have other duties to attend to”

If he agreed to begin the spar, Asuka would pull out a roll of bandages and wrap her hands and a bit of her lower arm. She didn’t want to risk harming herself, just to prove a point. After ensuring that they were tightly secured she would move roughly 5 meters from him and strike a defensive pose. Before they began a small smile would creep across her lips as she spoke

”Don’t go easy on me….darling”

As she looked at him, she almost seemed as if she was gazing right through him. The normal shine in her eyes now faded, as she blocked out any feelings she had for him in this moment. She knew physically he was stronger than her from his years of training, but she was much faster. If she could successfully dodge any of his incoming attacks she felt confident that she would be able to land a few blows herself.

She’d take a few deep breaths to try to relax the agonizing thoughts, though it seemingly didn’t help.

WC:554
Total WC:1476

She would respond to him, but her words lacked their usual demeanor. He longed for her happiness once more, the joy that infected every syllable that would escape her perfect and beautiful lips. But whoever it was that he was speaking with now, was not the same person that he was used to speaking with. Had he truly done something wrong? Did she have feelings for him? Gods damn it did he have feelings for her? He found himself flustered in the midst of her presence, where it was usually the opposite for them. He was the kind that enjoyed painful situations, but this was... different.

Her words were slurred. Had she been drinking? What would bring her to drink? When she answered his question, she would lie to him. She was so upset, but she wasn't telling him what was going on. It was driving him mad the fact that he didn't have the answers that he was desperate for. He would simply look at her with a bewildered look upon his face, truly lost in thought and concern for his darling Asuka. She paid his look no mind as she began to stumble towards the sparring area.

She turned to him, and with an emotionless tone, something that was so against her usual demeanor, she would ask him if he was ready now, as she had other duties to attend to. He would pick up his sword, sling it over his shoulder and walk forward. She would be wrapping bandages around her arms as he would arrive at his spot for the spar. He would bow towards her, then he would speak with a slightly timid voice, full concnern and discontentment, "My darling, I feel as though you are in no state of mind to go through with this spar. I would gladly begin whenever you are ready. Maybe after you can tell me just what is going on?"

She stared across the gap between them, to what seemed to Akira as an endless void with no true connection, not anymore. She spoke with a small smile gracing upon her perfect face. She would tell him not to go easy on her. He bowed to her once more, "My beautiful sweet Asuka. I would never try to hurt you, sweet little lamb. I willl be focusing on footwork and striking poses. But I won't be swinging with my full force. I have yet to learn full control, I would trust that I wouldn't hurt you. But I will certainly work on giving you a workout."

He looked across that endless void and he saw that her eyes would completely fade, that sparkle that he was obsessed with was gone. Leaving nothing more than an emotionless husk of a gaze stacked upon her porcelain shoulders. He knew that she was faster than he was, and he didn't know any techniques. But he would activate his eyes, being able to see her sweet blood coursing through her veins. It was the only amount of excitement that he could feel in this moment.

Now, in this moment, he readied himself and got into a low stance, his blade pointed directly for her as he had a firm grip with both hands upon the blade. His right leg was extended outward, acting as his lead foot. He would stare at her with love, and hunger. Both feeling equally powerful in this moment, but nothing could compare to the amount of loss that he seemed feel raging in his soul.

WC: 588
TWC: 1867

Asuka laughed as he declared that she wasn’t in the correct state of mind for this spar. She felt more capable than ever at this moment and thought it funny that he believed he knew what was best for her. For the longest time she was the one who worried about his mental state and wished he’d relax but not once did he listen to her. Though now she was supposed to take his advice? She couldn’t fathom calling off this spar, she had something to prove and intended to prove it.

He’d mention that he never wanted to harm her and that he intended instead to focus more on other things. Her jaw would clench tightly as he called her his little lamb once again, was he trying to get into her head? It was obvious that he knew something was wrong, so was he just trying to provoke her? Regardless of his intention his words only fueled the anger inside of her. She wanted to break down, cry, and just leave, but she knew he’d come looking for her so she had to stand her ground now.

She’d watch as his eyes began to glow like she had previously seen him too. Time would slow for her as she took a few deep breaths and attempted to calm her mind. Once she was ready, she’d activate her Byakugan, she didn’t have much practice using them so for a moment she was a bit overwhelmed by the sudden ability to see everything around her at once. Small veins would bulge out from her cheeks, leading up the side of her face towards her eyes as she sized up Akira. She was unsure of how to go about making the first move, but she knew she needed to act fast.

At her max speed (134) Asuka would blitz towards her companion, though she knew a head-on assault wouldn’t be the most optimal way to fight but it was her only option for the time being. Upon reaching striking range she’d attempt to fake him out before trying to strike at a vulnerable pressure point. Due to her medical studies, Asuka knew which parts of the human body could strike to disrupt the flow of chakra so that’s what she was aiming for. Her movements were concise, thought out, and well-placed as she attempted to barrage him with multiple blows.

If he attempted to strike out at her, she would quickly shift gears to a defensive mode and dodge his incoming attacks before following up with another barrage of blows. She could tell Akira was a bit off his game, normally he would be able to wipe the floor with her but something seemed to be affecting him. As they continued to exchange blows, Asuka could feel the emotions she had tucked away previously now creeping back into her mind. However, as the adrenaline pumped through her veins, it was hard to focus on any singular thought.

Tears began to form in her eyes slightly as she was unable to hold back the emotions that now flooded her brain. She was so angry, this could be plainly seen as she attempted to strike out at him. She felt humiliated by him, embarrassed that she believed he saw her as someone special in his life, and so unbelievably heartbroken that she fooled herself into thinking she meant more to him than just another woman in his life.

The spar would progress with them exchanging blows, if he managed to hit her she would wince in pain but wouldn’t back down. She was now slightly understanding of why he liked the pain so much, she didn’t find it as pleasurable as he did but could admit it felt a little bit good. Her muscles were sore and most felt like they were on fire from not allowing her body to rest throughout the night. Though thankfully she would be able to endure the discomfort and would continue her assault.

WC:674
Total WC: 2150

She sped towards him with a speed that he could admit, he wasn't prepared for from her. But he was able to keep his cool. He analyzed every movement, every twitch of the muscle, every swing of the arm, and the swinging of other things. He fought himself to keep focused, knowing that he was going to have to keep his attention on her if she was moving this fast. The amount of distance between them was quickly closed, and the first barrage of attacks were beginning to go underway. She was a Hyuuga, and even though he didn't like to read, he knew what they were capable of in combat, so he was going to be sure not to get hit by those gentle fists of hers.

She would commit to her first barrage of attacks, to which Akira would duck down beneath the first fist, and he would use his strength to sweep both of her legs out from under her. Should the sweep connect, then he would use the same motion to grab her arm and pin her to the ground. But it wouldn't connect as she would dodge his first attack by leaping into the air, having his legs go directly underneath hers. He would send a strike of the sword directly for her new position in the air. The blade would connect with her leg, causing her to be swept sideways, if it would connect.

His mind couldn't quite focus completely on what was happening. They had such a beautiful night together just two nights ago. But ever since he had seen her at the training grounds with Zansu, she was acting different towards him. Her eyes were bulging, she was using the Byakugan, something he didn't even know that she could do. She moved with such ferocity and blind rage, she was completely outside of her normal self right now and it was beginning to truly concern him.

He thought to himself about why this upset him so much. He thought hard on this while he watched her sprint towards him, she had him completely second guessing everything about himself. Did he do something wrong by kissing Zansu? Did she care about that? Was that why she was so unhappy? What brought her to drink? Especially enough to have her still slurring her words the next day. Why wasn't she at the bakery? What was gonig on with her? What was going on with him? So many questions burned through his mind and he had to get somewhat of an understanding on just what was going on with his beautiful little lamb Asuka. His heart was beginning to spin in his chest, he was feeling something he had never truly felt before.

With her new trajectory going to the side, she would land on the ground, hard on her side. He would already be pouncing on top of her, using his somewhat slow speed, but utilizing the short distance he needed to cover to reposition. He saw tears in her eyes, and he didn't know what was going on with her. He would grab both of her hands with his left hand, still holding his sword with his right. He would have his legs on both sides of her torso, trying to prevent her from moving. His face would be mere centimeters away from hers. "Darling Asuka. Please for the love of the gods tell me what is happening? You are not acting yourself and I am oblivious as to what is happening right now." He would attempt to kiss her cheek, letting her know that she is safe, or at least he believed she was.

WC: 612
TWC: 2479

Like she predicted he seemingly was easily able to contend with her. Though they both attempted to deal blows to each other Asuka was clearly being more aggressive than he was. Unfortunately, her blows were unable to connect with him as he easily dodged out of the way. He had years of training over her, did she genuinely think this was going to go any other way? In all honesty, she wasn’t thinking at all, her mind was a roller coaster of emotions that prevented logical thoughts from occurring.

As he swung out a her, Asuka would leap into the air avoiding getting her legs swept out from under her. However, she wasn’t prepared for his follow-up attack as his blade connected with her lower leg. She felt herself become off balance and quickly landed hard on her side. Pain coursed through her body it it came in contact with the hard surface. She hadn’t been injured like this since she was young, she had faint memories of being pushed around by some of the older kids at the orphanage. Akira had saved her from them many times, either taking the beating himself or scaring them away from her.

She attempted to quickly sit up but had been motionless for just too long. Akira would very easily pin her to the ground, using one hand to hold hers slightly above her head, the other still gripping his sword. By now Asuka was fully crying, crying from the pain and shame she felt towards herself. As she looked up into his eyes, she could feel her tears streaming down her face while he gazed at her with a concerned look.

Asuka attempted to break out of his grip as he asked her once again what was happening to her. However, due to their vastly different strength, her attempts would fail. She began to panic internally as she tried to figure out what she was going to say. Her Byakugan would fade from her face as was unable to maintain her focus. She would then speak, her voice filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

”I feel like such an idiot! I…. I saw what happened with Zansu yesterday! Do I mean that little to you, that you can't see how that would upset me? We’ve been spending so much time together, I guess I was foolish enough to think you’d see me as something more than just another woman in your life.”

After she finished speaking she tried to pull herself from his grasp, but again her attempt failed. Unsure of what to do at this moment, the only thing she could think of was to use her head. Hoping that his guard was down after her confession Asuka would try to head-butt him using her full strength. If she was able to connect she’d then take the opportunity to to shove him off of her to the right. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the strongest, so she wasn’t able to move him too far from her.

She’d cover her head in the spot that connected with his and wince in pain. After sitting up and attempting to recover for a moment, she would try to make a break for it. Due to the pain rushing through her body, her movements were slow and she could easily be stopped.

WC:560
Total WC:2710

His counterattack had worked exactly as planned, but even though it worked, it didn't feel good that it worked as it usually did. Generally he would take a few hits just for the sake of the feeling of pain, but this didn't feel like his usual spar. There was something deeper happening, something below the surface that maybe he was just too dense to understand. When he was around Asuka, he often felt like he was missing the point, like there was something far larger to what was happening around him, but he was far to senseless to be able to grasp it.

As she collided with the ground, he got on top of her and held her down for a moment. He wasn't sure what he was even doing at this point. This was no spar, this was her getting something off her chest, but he didn't know what it was for the life of him. She writhed and wriggled to try and free herself from his grasp, but he was determined to get whatever it was that was driving her so mad, out of her. But luckily after her first few attempts to free herself would fail, he would finally let him know what was going on.

The words that fell from her lips broke his heart, again and again after every word. To the many things that she was, and to the many things that he had tried to convince her that she was. Be it beautiful, smart, capable, skilled, an idiot was never something he thought of her, and it caused a tear to for in his eye when she said that she had felt like an idiot because of him.

She would speak of what she had seen between him and Zansu, the kiss that they had shared in the training academy. She spoke on how they had been spending so much time together, and how she was foolish for thinking she was more than just another woman in his life. With all of her desperate words rushing through his ears, twisting his heart and tearing it to pieces, he was stunned. He couldn't decide if he wanted to hold her, kiss her, beg for forgiveness first. But luckily this was decided for him when she would thrust her forehead forward, and collided with his jaw and chin. He would jolt back, and notice that he couldn't relish in the pain that he had been given, instead he just felt more pain and agony, but of a kind that even he couldn't enjoy.

His grip had been loosened and she wriggled herself free. He didn't even bring himself to his feet when she had gotten free. He lunged for her in a desperate move to get her to stop, grabbing her right hand with his left. He would stay on his knees, unable to look at her, feeling the weight of shame bringing his chin down to the floor. He would stay there for a moment, and then he would finally speak.

"Asuka. I'm... I'm so sorry. You are the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. I never imagined that you would think of yourself as anything close to someone belonging in my life. I am such a lowly cretin in this world, and you are so beautiful and worthy of so much more than me. Where I crawl through the night, you step with pride. Where I simply see the world, you live within it and breathe the air and grace the village... no... the world with the visage of that of a goddess of such beauty. I do not deserve to breathe the same air, to walk the same streets."

He would finally look up at her, with tears streaming down his face, his crimson red eyes wet with tears and bloodshot from his crying. He would let go of her hand and lower himself to his hands. "Please Asuka. Forgive me. For I am nothing compared to you. All of the other women are nothing compared to you. I pray to the gods above that you can find it in your heart to forgive a poor wretch such as myself for causing you such harm. Please know that I always have held you in such high regard, soaring so far above any other woman and that will never change."

He would sob to himself. He had no idea what he was doing. He had never felt such remorse or regret before. This was all so new to him. He couldn't believe what he was feeling, but he truly cared for what this woman thought of him. He truly couldn't imagine a life where she was mad at him, let alone leaving him behind. He began to feel so strongly for this woman, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say how he felt about her. He simply stayed there, his face facing the ground, on his hands and knees, and he waited his darling Asuka's response. Praying for her sweet words to return, praying for her to forgive him.

WC: 849
TWC: 3328

As she attempted to flee she felt him grab her by the left arm and she would stop to hear him out. Though her body wanted her to escape his grip her heart begged her to listen to his words. She was a bit shocked to see tears form in his eyes before she shoved him off of her, did he actually care about what she had said? Her mind would race as her anger was replaced with overwhelming sadness. She’d turn around to see him on his knees looking down at the floor as he spoke to her.

He would begin apologizing and admit that he didn’t think she would be interested in somebody like him. Was he stupid? She had spent countless days looking for him when he left the orphanage without giving her a heads-up. Since they reconnected Asuka tried to show him how important he was to her, but he obviously couldn’t see that. Did he really think she was acting like this just from the kindness of her own heart? She couldn’t believe he thought she allowed him to hug, kiss, and carry her and held no emotions like that. Not a single person in her life treated her as amazingly as he had had been.

She wiped some tears that continued to streak down her face as he picked up his head to look at her. After looking into his eyes she could tell that he was telling her the truth, she hadn’t seen him speak with such emotion in years and was a bit taken aback by his display. He would release her hand and lower himself to the ground in a bowing position. She’d quickly take a step back, wanting to run once again but was frozen in her tracks yet again.

Her heart broke to see him in such a position, nearly begging her to forgive him. In truth she wanted to, she wanted nothing more than to console him at this moment but felt conflicted. She knew she needed to process the words he was saying, at this point, she was too upset to think clearly. After taking a few moments to decide on what to say, she would begin to speak once more. However her voice was meek and timid as it usually was, the rage that was inside her seemingly had been put out.

”Akira... I” she’d sigh shakily before continuing on. ”I don’t think we should talk about this now. I’m not thinking right, my body hurts and I’m exhausted. You were right when you said we shouldn’t have had this spar in the first place, I think I need some space for now.”

She’d turn to walk from him but would stop about 5 meters away and look back at him once more. Asuka felt horrible leaving him like this and figured she could at least attempt to put his mind at ease before making her getaway.

” Let's meet tomorrow night at the bar, we can talk about this more then. You should know by now that I’d forgive you no matter what you did to me. I’ve loved you ever since I was a small girl, and plan on continuing to do so if you allow me.”

Before he could respond Asuka would rush out from the training grounds, leaving him alone. She would begin to head towards her home as she finished sobbing. A few concerned villagers would attempt to ask what was wrong, however she would just speed past them. She could feel exhaustion setting in as her pace would slow to a walk once she believed she was far enough away. She had a hard time believing his words since all this time she had thought that his affection for her was similar that to the attention he gave to others. They had always had a close relationship, but once they had reunited it seemed like more could come of it. Though he seemed much different from the Akira she knew previously, she still cared for him nonetheless.

It hurt her that he believed such horrible things about himself. Yes, he may not be the pinnacle of good in the world, but neither was anyone else. She hated that he didn’t think of being worthy enough to be more than just her friend. Why did he get to decide that anyway? She had been nothing but caring and attentive towards him up until this point in hopes that he’d realize the potential inside.

Soon she’d find herself at her front doors, and upon entering she’d quickly undress and climb into bed. After performing a handful of techniques to ease her pain she would give in to the exhaustion and immediately fall asleep.

(EXIT)

WC: 799
Total WC: 4127

WC Claims: (using training ground rules)
+16 Speed
+ 39 Chakra

1875/1875 Gentle Fist Barrage
1500/1500 Apothecary
250/250 One Thousand Years of Death Previous training here
738/1313 Perfect Body