FIRST DAY

As the students arrived at the dojo's hostels, they discovered that they were separated into two different buildings: one for male students, and one for female students.Each hostel had its own set of rules and regulations, and the students were expected to adhere to them strictly. The hostels were comfortable and modern, but there was a sense of solemnity and discipline that permeated the air. Meili wondered how long it would take her to adjust to her new surroundings. Meili chose to share a room with Fuse, who she found to be a kind and considerate roommate. Meanwhile, Lian and Koko became roommates, and the two of them bonded over their shared love of adventure. Lei, however, preferred to have her own room, as she liked her space and privacy. Despite the different arrangements, all of the girls got along well with each other, forming strong friendships – except for Lei, who preferred to keep to herself.

At the boys' quarters, a small commotion arose over who would be sharing a room with Kai. Jaggy, Kagawa, and Ryou all expressed disinterest in the prospect of rooming with him. Kagawa, Jaggy, and Ryou were determined to avoid sharing a room with Kai. They argued back and forth, each one refusing to back down. Finally, "Hold up," said Jaggy, raising his hand to interrupt the argument. "Why don't we just play rock, paper, scissors to decide who gets stuck with Kai?"

"Fine by me," Ryou replied, eager to put an end to the bickering.

"You're on!" said Kagawa, his voice tinged with nervousness.

The three boys each threw out their hands, fingers splayed. "Rock, paper, scissors, go!" they chanted in unison. As they brought their hands together, a hush fell over the room. Ultimately, Kagawa lost and had to share a room with Kai.With a heavy sigh, he conceded defeat, knowing he would be the one to share a room with Kai. Throughout the whole exchange, Kai sat in the corner at one of the rooms, engrossed in a book, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him.

It was a cloudy morning the next day in Wushu Guan, Meili was looking forward to having her first lessons in her new school, she couldn't wait to show everyone including the Si-Fu what she's made of. Even though the weather wasn't ideal, she wasn't going to let that deter her. She he took off early from her hostel without anyone noticing to the dojo eager to start her new journey, Fuse was still asleep by then . However as she reached the dojo, she found it to be eerily quiet. No one else seemed to be around even the Si-Fu's and the silence felt strange and ominous .

But Meili wasn't going to let anything deter her, and she stepped inside. She looked around and she realized that she was completely alone. The silence was deafening, and she found herself becoming increasingly uneasy. "Maybe I'll come back later," Meili mumbled to herself as she started to turn away.

"What are you doing here?" a voice said from the shadows.

Meili froze, her heart pounding. The voice was deep and resonant, and it demanded an answer. Cautiously, she turned back to face the man who had spoken. He stepped out of the shadows and Meili gasped, recognition dawning on her face. "You're the Si-Fu from yesterday," she said, unable to keep the awe out of her voice. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm flattered you remember me, but anyways I'm a Si-Fu here" Mr. Hibiki said, his voice deep and resonant. "But I must ask - what are you doing here this early? The other freshmen don't arrive for another hour."

Meili felt a blush of embarrassment creep up her neck. She had rushed to the dojo without checking the time, and now she felt like a fool. But she refused to let it get her down. She straightened her shoulders and said, "I know that, but I'm eager to get started. I want to make the most of my time here."

Mr. Hibiki seemed impressed by her determination. "Well, in that case, let's start with you introducing yourself." He said, Meili took a deep breath and began to speak. "My name is Meili Zino, and I'm from the Zino clan. I'm here to learn everything I can about the martial arts." she said, her voice clear and steady. "I admire your determination, Meili." Mr. Hibiki said, his eyes twinkling with approval. "But there's more to the martial arts than just fighting. It's also about discipline, ability to make good decisions, self-control, and inner strength. Are you ready to learn all of that as well?" Meili nodded without hesitation, her eyes shining with determination. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes to become a true kung Fu warrior," she said.

Hibiki then opened a discussion on her clan the Zino clan. The Zino clan warriors are known for relying most on Their skills and techniques with weapons and no special abilities known to them. So Hibiki asked Meili about her traits and capabilities, she then told him she was able to heal and read dreams . Mr. Hibiki listened to Meili's story with rapt attention, his eyes wide with amazement. "How are you able to do that , you don't belong to the kuoshu clan?", he said his face full of curiosity . "My mom does, but she never told they were able to do that" said Meili, Mr Hibiki was left stunned and then took an awkwardly interesting stare at Meili . He had never heard of anyone with such a unique combination of abilities at such a young age not to talk of potentially inheriting the abilities of two clans, and he wondered what it could mean for Meili's future.

"So, are you used to weapons, but anyways even though your not, the fact you are capable of the abilities you have now ,That's incredible!" Mr. Hibiki exclaimed. Meili with her chest swelling with pride responded "well I'm not and I'm still learning how to control my powers, but I know I can do great things with them." She said. "I plan to become the best Kung Fu warrior and rule Wushu Guan."

Mr. Hibiki smiled, impressed by her dedication and drive. "That's the right attitude to have, Meili. But know hard work and perseverance will be what you need take you far. But don't forget to enjoy the journey as well, and also to watch out for those close to you cause you might easily lose some along the way ." He said, his voice gentle but firm. " the journey of a warrior isn't an easy road , you will go through times of depression and despair and I'm sure you will be able to tackle those problems". Meili's eyes widened, the words sinking in like a stone in water. "You're right." She said, her voice soft. "I don't want to lose my family and friends, and I don't want to lose myself along the way either . I need to find a balance, so I can be the best warrior , without sacrificing everything else that's important to me."

Mr. Hibiki nodded, a proud smile on his face. "That's the spirit, Meili. Now, I think it's for me to get going ." He said, she then asked , "but you haven't told me about what clan your from". Mr. Hibiki's smile widened. "Ok then , I seem to trust you , so I'll tell you." He said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm Si-Fu Hibiki , later"

Jaggy and Ryou burst through the doors of the dojo, their voices booming through the room. "Oh hey Meili, up bright and early I see!" Jaggy said, a sly grin spreading across his face. He leaned in close, his eyebrows raised. "You trying to make a good impression, aren't you?" Ryou laughed, clearly enjoying the way Jaggy was teasing Meili. "I, um, well, no," she stammered, feeling her face turn red

Kagawa however arrived "Hey, don't let that guy get to you. He's just messing around."

Meili looked at him, relieved to see a friendly face. "Thanks, kagawa. You're a good friend."

"That's what I'm here for," he replied, his usual cheeky grin returning.

Jaggy stared at Kagawa, a scowl etched across his face. "Why are you here, butterball?" he sneered. "No one asked for your opinion."

Kagawa bristled at the insult. "Don't call me that," he snapped, his voice low and dangerous. "Or I'll make you regret it."

Jaggy smirked, his eyes glinting with malice. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, doughboy?"

Kagawa's fist clenched, and for a moment it looked like he might swing at Jaggy.

"Guys, please stop!" Meili cried, stepping between Jaggy and Kagawa. "There's no need to fight….."

Ryou sighed, shaking his head. "Don't waste your breath on these knuckleheads, Meili," he said. "They're both too stubborn to listen to reason."

Jaggy and Kagawa ignored them both, their gazes locked on each other, their muscles tense. It seemed like the situation was about to explode.

But before Meili could respond, the room fell silent as the Si-Fu walked in. The four students immediately bowed and addressed him with a respectful "Good morning, Si-Fu!"

The Si-Fu's eyes scanned the room, settling on Meili. "Good morning, class," she said in a deep, authoritative voice. "I'm happy to see you all eager to start the day." Her gaze lingered on Meili for a moment longer, and she felt a jolt of nervous energy run through her. Suddenly, the Si-Fu's gaze flicked over to Jaggy and Kagawa, his eyes narrowing. He had clearly noticed the tension in the air, and his presence brought an uneasy quiet to the room. She chose not to intrude on that matter .Miss Mei then decided to wait a while for the other students to arrive. Then almost immediately the females appeared to the class, A few minutes later, the other students began to trickle into the dojo, the girls taking their seats on one side and the boys on the other. Among them was Lei, who shot a glance at Meili as she walked in. There was an awkward tension between them, a reminder of the tension from the previous day. Lei took a seat as far away from Meili as possible, a look of disapproval on her face. Fuse also came in and went straight to sit with Meili. "You left the room so early - I didn't even notice. You could have woken me up to follow you, y'know," Fuse said with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep," Meili said with a slight smile. "At least you made it before the class started."

"Yeah, no problem," Fuse said, settling into her seat. "Looks like Kagawa made it to school early, too."

Then a few minutes passed, and Kai still hadn't arrived. The Si-Fu announced that the class would start without him, since he was already 15 minutes late. The other students began to whisper among themselves, wondering what could have happened to kai. They turned to Kagawa, Kai's roommate, but he didn't have any information to share. He hadn't spoken to Kai since their first night in the dorms or ever in the case may be.

Everyone took their seats, and the Si-Fu began to go over the basics of martial arts. As the Si-Fu was talking, the door to the classroom suddenly opened. Everyone turned to see who had arrived so late, and to their surprise, it was Kai.

Lei's heart jumped in her chest, relieved to see him. But her relief was quickly replaced by anger, as she saw that he was heading to seat where Meili was at. Lei rose from her seat, her voice filled with indignation. "Hey, you can't sit there!" She said, feeling nervous and desperate because she wants him to sit next to her , she then "You're late, and I kept a spot for u close to me!"

Kai looked at Lei, his face impassive. "who are you to care where I sit." He said, his stern and calm but cold.

Lei could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment, having made a scene. Everyone was looking at her now, and she wanted to disappear. "I just…" she stammered, her voice faltering. "I just thought…" She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Kai continued to stare at her, his expression unreadable. Then, without a word, he turned and walked to the back of the class, taking an empty seat. "Aww, and there goes the wounded dove " said jaggy being cocky and sarcastic but Lei shot back " shut it dunderhead!."

Lei sat back down, her head in her hands.

As the lesson progressed, miss Mei was about to introduce the basics in kung Fu combat as Lei found it harder and harder to focus on the Si-Fu's words. She kept shooting dirty looks at Kai, who seemed completely unaffected by her gaze. Lei felt a mix of emotions – anger, embarrassment, and a strange sense of longing. But as Meili seat a step below was beside him she had a glance at kai and noticed how charming he was from close by . The way Meili looked at him – like he was the most fascinating person she'd ever met. Lei then noticed the way Meili was starring at kai and became more jealous. Then as Meili almost lost herself as she was gazing, kai noticed .Kai looked back at Meili awkwardly and caught her gaze. Meili quickly looked away, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She had been caught staring, and she didn't know what to do. Kai's gaze made her feel like he could see right through her, and she was terrified of what he might think.

Then, to Meili's surprise, Kai spoke to her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, his voice low and awkward tone.

Meili stammered for a moment, trying to think of an answer. "I…I'm sorry," she said, her voice shaky. Meili looked down, her face burning with embarrassment. Kai had turned away from her, and she felt like he had seen right through her, like she had been exposed. She wanted to disappear, to sink into the ground and never have to face anyone again. The room was silent, the other students watching the exchange with rapt attention. Then, Fuse spoke up, her voice soothing. "Don't worry, Meili. We all look at cute boys sometimes."

Fuse smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but Meili just looked at her feet, still feeling embarrassed. She wished the ground would swallow her whole, anything to escape the awkwardness of the moment.

But then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, and saw Miss Mei looking at what was going on then she asked Meili " are you ok, Meili?" she asked

" Yes , miss Mei nothing's going on here ", her voice shaking as she was trying to avoid any more drama and attention.

Lei scowled, clearly not buying it. "Yeah right. Like we'll believe that." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just stay away from him, okay?" She snapped.

Miss Mei cleared her throat, effectively bringing the class to order. "All right, settle down, everyone." She said, her voice firm but kind. "We have a lot to cover today, so let's focus on the lesson, okay?"

The students all nodded, some looking a bit sheepish, and took their seats. Meili was relieved that the tension had broken, but she couldn't help but feel a bit unease. She didn't want to cause any trouble, but Lei was clearly not happy with the situation. And she couldn't help but wonder why.

End