Just Another Day

Shockwaves ripped through the freshly restored training room as Takehito landed blow after blow on my bruised and bleeding chest. He told me I was too vulnerable to feeling pain in the middle of a fight, even though most of the time I don't flinch even when faced with a sword cutting through my flesh, but he insisted that I feel nothing no matter what, hence this absurd training.

After the sound of my ribs cracking for the sixth time reverberated through the room, Takehito stopped and allowed me to heal myself with my flames. They sprung out from my chest and began to emit a loud hissing sound as my body began to heal. The flames coiled around my body and pointed at Takehito as they hissed, making it seem like it was mad at the man.

I tried to get the flames to go back into my body, but it refused to listen to me. "It's fine. I can tell you're confused as to why your power won't listen to you, but I was going to suggest that we spar with them this time, so don't bother." Takehito had yet to show me his powers, which made me garner a large amount of respect for the man since his speed was a result of sheer hard work.

I stood and watched as the flames wrapped around my arms and filled my eyes; I could feel that it was ready to fight. Takehito began to bounce on his heels as he said "All right! No holding back! Prepare yourself, Kenji." Takehito dashed forward and I stepped forward to block his punch before using my elbow to deflect his knee to the side.

I spun and tried to deliver a backfist to his jaw, but he was all ready out of range. I watched as he darted to my left before kicking a cloud of dust into the air and charging toward me. I ducked under his kick and delivered one of my own to the back of his knee, bringing him down to the ground. I punched downward, but Takehito had recovered and was all ready back on the offensive.

His punch clipped my shoulder before his kick hit me square in the gut. I slid backwards, but managed to keep my footing before managing to dodge another kick aimed at my neck. I punched out and our fists collided, causing a large shockwave to ravage the room yet again. Takehito laughed and said "All right, all right fine, you caught my bluff. I'll get serious now..."

I watched as he vanished from sight before appearing directly behind me and punching out at lightning fast speeds. I managed to avoid taking a direct hit, but the punch grazed my cheek and left me feeling lightheaded for a second as I brought my arms up to defend. Takehito backed off as my flames burst out to form a shield in front of me.

"Nice one. Get more creative and you'll be an opponent I wouldn't want to find on the battlefield!" He said as he circled around me. "Y'know, your flames remind me a lot of the ones I found in Okinawa a few years back, after the tragedy of course, and I have a favor to ask." Takehito lowered his guard and walked in front of me with a serious expression.

"What is it?" I asked. Takehito flexed his jaw before asking "Can you hide your powers at the academy? They're unique, even among us people who use the Shadow Powers, and many people might get absurd ideas about them, especially if they witnessed Okinawa seven years ago. I don't want my favorite pupil to get into any unsavory accidents, now do I?" I nodded my head and looked at my arm that was still covered in the black-blue flames.

I wondered how many times I laid awake at night, thinking about why my flames looked the same as the ones from Okinawa. I nodded my head and said "All right. I was already thinking about hiding them anyways considering their appearance, but you just solidified that idea. Thank you." Takehito shrugged his shoulders and turned as he began to walk toward the door and wave goodbye over his shoulder.

Lydia, who was on the same rock as yesterday, hopped down and said "Kenji, I'm gonna head back to the room for now, okay!" I once again nodded my head as I retrieved my shirt before putting it on. It was an unnaturally cool day outside, and I felt like going on a walk through town anyways. "I'm going to town. Need anything while I'm there?" I asked as I jogged over.

Lydia put a finger on her chin as she thought before saying "We need some more potatoes and eggs, but I'm craving some pizza..." I adopted a wry smile before sighing and saying "Got it. I'll be back in an hour or two." I walked out of the room and into the long, cold hallway before walking toward the main entrance and outside into the middle of a cold gust of wind.

My hair was messy after my training with Takehito, so I quickly put it back up before adjusting my glasses. I don't know why, but I felt like wearing my glasses today. The Academy wasn't far from most of the convenience stores and fast-food places, so I wanted to walk instead of drive. Along the way, I overheard many people talking about me in hushed, excited, and rather angry voices. Guess being in the top five at the best academy brought a lot of attention along with the title.

"U-Um, hey K-Kenji..." I turned and saw a woman, who was actually pretty small at around 4'11, with long brown hair, delicate features that would make most men's heart ache, pale blue eyes, and an innocent expression staring at the ground and messing with her hair. "Yes? Is there something I can do for you?" I asked, not knowing what to do nor say.

Her friends, I'm assuming they were friends, behind her began to squeal in delight as the woman glanced up at me and asked "I was wondering...if you wanted to grab something to eat later...just the two of us..." I blinked my eyes a few times before pulling the best smile out of my ass and saying "Sorry, maybe some other time? I'm running over to the store to get a few things for dinner tonight. Again, sorry."

I bowed slightly before turning and quickly, but not too quickly, walking away from the scene. Thankfully, the woman didn't start crying on the spot and only looked slightly dejected. When I got far enough, I breathed a sigh of relief and thought 'Why the hell are so many people interested in me now? No one really cared too much about me before, so why now?'

I shook my head and muttered "Who cares anyways..." as I began to wander through the small city. If I looked back, it was almost as if the academy was a castle looking over its fiefdom. I had a few more encounters like the last one, but they all ended the same way, except for the increasingly noticeable feeling of being watched after each time.

I mentally marked each fast-food place and store as I passed before circling around and heading toward the closest store. I walked into the store and began to look around for eggs and potatoes when a voice came from my side. "Hey, Kenji!" I turned and saw Ava in a small black shirt and black short shorts along with a dark grey beanie. She waved at me and began to hurriedly walk toward me.

"Hey, Ava, how've you been?" I asked as I put my sweating hands in my pockets. "I've been doing great, except I have this weird roommate that keeps trying to watch me shower..." I laughed through my nose before catching myself and adopting a straight face. "Something funny?" Ava asked as she crossed her arms and raised a brow.

I shook my head and said "No, nothing. Oh, if you don't mind, can you show me where the eggs and potatoes are?" Ava smiled slightly before shrugging her shoulders and saying "Sure, I've got nothing better to do anyways." As she showed me around the store, we began to talk about our lives inside of the academy dorms.

"Really? That must be terrible..." Ava said as I mentioned how Lydia fell asleep on my chest when I passed out. I waved my hands and shook my head as I said "No, it's actually not that bad. I mean, it shows she cares, right? She's a good person, believe me, and she makes life in the dorm much easier since she's such a good cook."

Ava frowned and I inwardly cursed as I realized that I made it sound like I didn't mind her sleeping with me. Ava must have noticed my slightly flustered expression since she laughed and said "Oh, cheer up big guy! I knew what you meant, so there's no need to get all worked up. Though you are pretty cute when you're flustered."

My face turned slightly ruddy as I sighed and put my face in the palm of my hand and said "I'd rather you not say these things in public, you know..." Ava laughed again and punched my arm before saying "Come on, we still have to get your stuff." After talking to Ava for another ten minutes, it was time for her to go.

"All right, I have to get ready for tomorrow since I have an interview, but I'll catch you later!" I nodded my head and said "Yeah, catch you later." before turning and starting to walk toward the register. A hand grabbed my arm and turned me around as a surprisingly warm body clung to mine. Ava looked up at me and said "You can at least give me a hug and tell me good luck, y'know..."

I swallowed hard before saying "Y-Yeah...good luck on your interview..." Ava giggled as she turned and began to walk back toward the academy, leaving me to stand there contemplating what exactly just happened. I walked over to the register, paid for my two items, and began to walk toward a pizza place that had quite the number of customers the last time I saw it.

Just like before, the place had a large amount of people inside and in the drive-through. I walked inside, ordered one large pepperoni and one large supreme before finding myself back on the streets walking toward the academy. It was all ready mid-afternoon, and the temperature had only dropped down from what it was before. Thankfully, however, I literally had fire in my veins, so I was more or less safe from the cold weather.

I found myself back at the academy without being interrupted, and I had an unusual pep in my step as I struggled to keep a small smile off of my face. Since Lydia was inside, I decided to knock on the door instead of getting my I.D. card out. The door opened slightly and Lydia's eye peeked through the crack before she swung it open and said "That smells delicious!" while grabbing the pizza from my hands.

I walked in, shut the door, and made my way toward the kitchen so I could put the eggs and potatoes away before grabbing me a few slices of pizza. I knew it would be gone by the morning, so I decided to have a small cheat day. I sat down at the table and watched as Lydia moved from her seat to sit next to me before plopping the pizza boxes down in front of me.

"You seem awfully happy today. Did something happen?" I had a straight face as I shook my head and glanced over at her before saying "Not necessarily. I did run into someone I knew, though, but that's about all." Lydia moved closer to me as she squinted her eyes, almost like she was trying to stare into my soul. A few pieces of her hair fell down from her messy bun, but that only made her look strangely attractive. Not that she wasn't before but...you know what I mean.

Lydia leaned closer and sniffed my neck before leaning back into her chair and saying "You smell like perfume." with a smile on her face. I shoved a piece of pizza in my mouth and tried to ignore her remark, but she burst into laughter before shaking her head in exasperation. It was a strange relationship we had, but I felt like I finally had someone I could call a friend. Someone I could rely on, even though we barely knew each other.

It was a good feeling...