True Feelings [Pt 1]

"You can do it too if you try!"

How many times had Kaycee heard those words before? Only once… and it came from someone he had no desire to think about. To distract himself from the blurry image that manifested in his conflicted mind, he tried to look at Theo and Liyah, watching their movements flow with the rhythm of combat.

But, that only served as a stark reminder of memories best left forgotten.

All of a sudden, he began to have strange thoughts.

'Could I do it too? If I worked hard enough… could I also participate in the Combat Exams?'

"You guys…" His words, a gentle whisper, echoed out quietly. It was meant to be drowned by the much louder sounds of sparring, but the noise suddenly stopped. 

Theo suddenly looked in Kaycee's direction. "What's up? You just called us, right?"

His eyes widened the moment he heard those words, observing that Liyah had also stopped to look at him. Under the pressure of their gazes, feeling the weight of their expectations, Kaycee was tempted to spill all the swirling thoughts that ravaged his insides.

But—

"A-are you done warming up? Come on! Show some more action!"

—He found himself unable to.

Instead, with a false smile planted on his face, he lied to the two hoping they believed it as much as he desired them to. Theo stared blankly at him for a few seconds, his eyes seemingly piercing into the deepest recesses of his soul.

However, the boy said nothing of it.

"Alright then!" Instead, he returned the smile. "Let's kick things up a notch. You ready, Liyah?"

With perspiration glowing on her skin, she responded with an excited smile. 

"You bet!"

Kaycee watched them resume their fight, feeling the weight of unease lifted off his shoulders. However, this didn't make him relieved in the slightest. Instead, he was disappointed—ashamed of his cowardice. 

Once again… he had failed to convey his true feelings.

***********

After completing the spar for the day, with Theo beating Liyah ten times out of the ten rounds they fought, it was very clear who the overall victor was. The group went ahead to have lunch in a nearby restaurant. Since this was a commercial district, the place was littered with eateries… though Liyah took them to one she considered to be a notch above the rest.

Of course, she ended up paying for their meals.

They thanked her once again, since it was the polite thing to do, but she was less flustered so they were unable to see her 'tomato face.' 

Once they were done with lunch, the group had to split. Liyah had other things to sort out back in the Middle District. That left both Theo and K.C.

"What do you have planned?" The former asked, staring at the tall boy with genuine curiosity.

Kaycee would have stuttered and fumbled on his speech, but he had already foreseen this question and already concocted a compelling lie to tell. "I think I'll go visit one of my friends who stays around here."

"Really? They live here? It's a commercial district."

"Did I say live? I meant work… yes, they work here." Kaycee responded, mildly flustered, but proud of how he quickly picked himself back up.

Theo nodded in understanding, so he and Liyah entered the ride—leaving him in front of the restaurant with the intention of dropping off Theo at his residence so Liyah could go on with her own business. 

Everyone said farewell, and they parted ways.

"Haa…" Kaycee's eyes dulled once he watched the R'ac zoom off. He remained stationary for a minute or two, mulling over his decision. 

Then, with brilliant glint flashing in his eyes, he clenched his fist.

"I need to know… I have to."

Could he do it too? If he worked hard enough, could he also be like Theo and Liyah?

He had to know!

Kaycee walked quickly, his eyes focused solely on the building that was only a few buildings away from where he was. In no time at all, he reached the very front of the establishment, entering it with determination oozing from him.

"Name?"

"Kaycee. I registered today."

"Alright. One moment." The clerk checked the records and nodded. "You will be guided to your sparring hall. Would you like a trainer or would you like to be alone?"

"Alone."

"Okay. Thank you for choosing Onyx Sparring Arena."

**************

A few weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

It almost marked an entire month since Theo arrived in the Ak'ashi Guild, but not much had changed about his everyday life. He still lived in his suite, and every day he hung out with the same people.

He and Liyah trained almost every day, and Kaycee joined them as a spectator during his free time. Afterwards, they would go eat, shop, and enjoy one another's company. They even visited Kaycee's workplace on a particular day to pick him up, causing quite the commotion as a result of the luxurious ride Liyah rented out that day.

Words like "I didn't know Kaycee had rich friends!" And "I didn't know he had ANY friends!" flew around, and the mortified boy begged them never to surprise him in such a way again. Needless to say, it was a disastrous moment that remained etched in the trio's mind. It held as much significance as Liyah's S'ub incident, so the group seldom talked about it.

Though, it had to have secretly frustrated both Liyah and Kaycee that they had nothing on Theo the same way he did on them.

FSHIIII!

Liyah slid on the ground after receiving Theo's blow, standing upright after the heavy strike. Kaycee silently watched this, his eyes twitching in astonishment, while Theo clapped his hands and let his lips curl up to form a proud smile.

"You've really improved! I still remember when you'd stumble and fall from the same strike."

"Hehe! Of course, I've improved." Liyah grinned. "You better watch out. I might surpass you at this ra—"

Theo swiftly closed the gap between them, his fist nearing her face faster than she could react. He only stopped when he was barely an inch away, allowing the pressure of the wind to cause her shivering body to crumble and fall.

"You're exhausted… and you're still a long way off from surpassing me." He smirked.

Liyah, whose weak knees kissed the ground, sighed in admission. As much as she wanted to brag about her accomplishments and progress, she was still only barely able to keep up with Theo when he got serious.

It showed her just how much he had been holding back during their first spar.

"Training is over. Let's go eat."

The group went out to eat, and just like every time Kaycee joined them in the Sparring Arena, he was left behind so he could visit his 'friend' who worked in the commercial district. The trio parted ways, and Kaycee once again went to his true destination—the same Sparring Arena they had left not too long ago.