Characters: Yui, Ayato

Genre: Friendship

Rated: K+

Day one: Yui Komori

Side by Side

"Che...Argh, dammit!"

A red-headed swordsman threw his sword onto the wet dirt, mud. It was raining, hard raindrops, and yet the boy was in the woods training his skills.

"Hah...argh..." He dropped to his knees, letting frustrating tears run down his face.

He knows his skills weren't all that great. He knows that he sucks.

"Hey, it's that guy that can't even cut down a tree!"

"Pft, he's so full of himself!"

"The best my butt, he sucks."

"Why don't you become a healer instead?"

He ranted his mouth off, always saying that he was able to win a battle against his father who was well known around the kingdom. But he couldn't do it. He wasn't able to cut down one measly tree, nor has he ever been in a battle before.

It was raining hard. There shouldn't be anyone here besides him he thought. So he cried his butt off. He was drowned in his cries that he didn't notice the raindrops not raining down on him every three seconds or the sounds of something breaking every three seconds. He didn't notice until he was finished with his tears.

"...What's...that sound?" When he removed his hands from his eyes and looked up, he saw a dome shape barrier around him. After three seconds it vanished and reappeared again. Someone was using their magic as an umbrella, shielding him from the rain.

A blush popped up on his cheeks. Someone had probably saw him sob!

"W-Who's there? Come out and face yours truly!" He scrambled for his sword but them he slammed into the barrier and fell on his back. "Ow..."

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Ayato!"

The shield was still around and it was still raining as a girl with blonde hair entered his vision as he lied on his back.

"...Do I know you?"

She looked familiar, like a classmate from school. He just didn't remember her name.

"...It's Yui...uh, I have you in all my classes." She handed him a handkerchief.

"..." He quickly snatched it and brought it up to his nose and blew his nose.

"Why are you even out here when it's raining...how stupid." Ayato folded the handkerchief and wiped his nose clean.

"...I...I was training like you"

"Who said I was training! I wasn't training!" His face turned all red and threw the cloth on the mud. She probably knew he had a big mouth, saw him wave around his sword like a fool, and saw him cry like a baby anyways and whispered, "...So what if I was training..."

He thought she wouldn't be able to hear his whisper because of the hard rain but she heard him.

"...my limit of keeping up the barrier is three seconds...I'm a useless as a defender." He wondered if she was trying to cheer him up. "...If I train I'll be able to keep it up longer...You know, I've never taken part in a battle before either."

He didn't know her that well but it was obvious she knew a lot about him, especially about his "amazing skills".

"Then, let's battle!"

Battle against someone who was in the same position as him seems lots more fun than going against someone who wasn't.

"Huh? Are you sure?"

He nodded. His green eyes fueled back up with determination.

"Prepare yourself for yours truly to win!"

"Yeah! I'll do my best!"

He wasn't powerful at all and he knew that very well. He was just a beginner beginner after all. So what if he sucks? Yui didn't mind.

...

"...That was fun!" Yui exclaimed.

Their attacks were weak, their kicks were weak, their punches were weak as hell too, but it was fun. Ayato had a ton of fun in his first battle though it was a tie.

After their battle they both lied flat on their back, on the mud. Actually it was more like a puddle of muddy water and it messed up their hair and clothes but they didn't mind. Their physical attacks and magic attacks weren't that powerful so they didn't get severally injured.

"I'll be training here tomorrow too. I hope you don't mind."

He didn't mind, not one bit. He actually met someone who knew how he felt. She didn't scorn him like the others.

...

The next day she was there and he trained with her again. The next day came by and he continued to train with her day after day after day. However as days turned into months, he noticed Yui was improving faster than him. She became as strong as Reiji and Shu.

One day he burst, aiming his anger at her.

"...Che, why are you still hanging around me."

"What's wrong? Did I—"

"Argh, that's not it!"

That wasn't it. It wasn't her. He considered her his best friend. It was the gossip.

From time to time their classmates would come up to Yui and ask her why she still hanged out with him. He would get riled up pick a fight against them after school, always ending up with lots of bruises and never won a battle against them.

As if reading his mind she encouraged, "Don't worry Ayato! You'll get stronger really strong like your dad!"

Every single time she encouraged him his lips would moved on their own, forming a smile.

"Are you smiling Ayato?"

"No!"

He tried distancing himself from Yui the next few days but he found it difficult to part from her. She was practically the only friend he had, not counting his brothers Kanato and Laito and she made everyday infinity times better than usual.

He couldn't leave her side nor did he want her to leave his. Even if she was stronger than him, or weaker than him, he would still want her by his side.

"Amazing! You're improving a lot Ayato!"

"Right! I'm the—Y-Yui, what did you to to the ground..."

"What are you talking about? It's just a small pit-hole."

"...Rest in peace practice dummy."