"Mr. Dragunov?" I raise my head, snapping from my absence, turning my face at Glynda Goodwitch. "Would you like to try a round?" She asks, tilting her head at me, like she knew I had been spacing out in class.
I rose from my seat, nodding, and walk down the stairs towards the center of the sparring mat, where a familiar blonde was standing, cracking her nuckles, smiling confidently at me. I'd seen that face once before, during a live broadcast. Yang Xiao Long, "The Kneecapper", they called her. Though the Vytal Festival case had been closed in her favor, no further details on the incident had been released, which made it difficult for the foreign public to trust the verdict. Personally, I didn't care much.
My opponent takes her stance, and so do I, after checking the cylinders on my gauntlets to make sure they were loaded. Ten shots total. I was outgunned, and up against the most fearsome brawler in Beacon, but I held the advantage of the surprise factor. Glynda stepped back, and Yang immediatly lunged at me, zigzagging with surprising speed, leaving me with barely little time to sidestep away from a punch and counter with an elbow to the back of her head. It cut through thin air as she ducked under it, stepping back to clear accurate distance for a stomp, which landed square in my chest.
I stumbled back, grinning, lowering my guard defiantly, and slowly push forward to bait an offensive. Once cornered, she took the bait, spinning to attempt a roundhouse kick at my right ear. Anticipating myself, I stepped in, wrapping my left arm around her neck and spinning to deliver a power hip toss that planted her facefirst on the floor, with a grunt of pain. Seizing the opportunity, I slammed my fist down for a finishing move, but the blondie was far from done. She rolled sideways, cartwheeling back to her feet. Not bad.
That lady was a fast one. She'd most certainly shield or evade any direct hits from my gauntlets' ranged module, but, if I took potshots at her feet instead, I could control her dodging path. One, two, three shots, and my opponent suddenly somersaults forward, readying a flying axe kick. Her foot crashes down on the floor with a dull bang right as I switched my stance for a leg sweep, avoiding the strike by the skin of my teeth while slaming her down on her back in a single swift move.
Quickly, my left arm seizes her right wrist and elbow, cranking the shoulder. I lay one knee on her stomach and the other foot around her head, feeling confident in my victory, when I notice a faint golden gleam shining from below me, and see Yang raise her hand for one last desperate chop at my leg. The absolute madwoman would rather exhange her shoulder for my knee and keep on fighting than just tap out and concede defeat, but, much to my relief, Glynda calls the stoppage. I'll live to walk another day.
"Enough!" She commands. "Class dismissed. The matches will be analyzed and discussed tomorrow."
I bow lightly to the professor, letting go of my opponent and holding out a hand to help her up.
"Nice match. I like your style!" She smiles, trying to catch her breath, rolling her right shoulder once she's up.
"Gauntlets, right?" I chuckle, opening my arms and turning my palms up so she could have a better look. She nodded, slightly leaning in closer to inspect the exoskeleton concealing the black fur and the feral claws on my hands and forearms.
"Gauntlets indeed!" She replied, holding out her hand for a handshake, which I gladly obliged to. "How're you liking Beacon so far, Dragunov?" She asked, holding her hands behind her back, making it hard for me not to peek at that generous cleavage.
"Douglas. Just call me Douglas, Yang." I smile back, nodding.
"So, you know my name. Just look at you getting all familiar…. Next thing you'll ask for my Scroll ID, I suppose." She smirks.
I throw my hands back in defense. "It was your idea." We both laugh, and head outside of the training hall, exchanging contact information as we walk.
"Listen… Sorry for being so forward, but I think I could learn something from you. Learn to use my head, rather than my fists." Yang looks away, blushing slightly.
I shrug. "No biggie. As long as you don't mind being seen hanging around with Faunus scum, that is…" I nudge her shoulder lightly, letting out a chuckle.
Yang frowns at me. "Um… My best friend outside of my family is a Faunus, y'know."
"Why, yes, I do…" I nod. "…Good thing you two get along. Otherwise, it'd be a real…"
"Cat-astrophe!" We finish in unison, sharing a warm, long, and loud laugh. "Hey, only I am allowed to make bad puns in this academy, alright?" She adds.
"Or what? You're gonna shoot me in the leg?" I retort, smirking, stepping into the dining hall with her.
"Ha-ha-ha. Real funny, smartass." She rolls her eyes at me, attempting to convey an annoying expression, but soft giggling gave her away. "You're pretty good. I'll see you later!" She waves as we back away from each other to rejoin our teams.
It's been three years since I've graduated. Five since I've been transferred into Beacon. Three since I've proposed to the love of my life. The memories remain fresh, as they always will be. The Hunstman life was reasonably quiet. Nothing we could complain about, and the pay was more than enough to make ends meet and save up for bigger future plans.
"Doug, help me lay down the mats, won't you?" Yang shouted out from the backyard.
"In a minute! Nearly done with this doggone sink!" I replied, working a wrench under our bathroom's sink to fix a leak.
"More like dog-gone it, right?" She calls once again. I roll my eyes and hop out of the window, sliding over the rear porch's roof to land on my feet before the mat, kicking off my shoes and removing my shirt. "Woo-hoo, another dog joke. So original." I grunt.
Yang winks at me. "I know you can't live without 'em, baby." She giggles, joining me on the mat, wearing nothing but short leggings and a sports bra. Wasn't too long after we first started our sessions that she found out that her usual tube tops weren't the best choice of clothing for grappling – but that's a different story.
We bow at each other, and carry on with the warm-up routine. Rolling, position shifting, and guard passing drills, each taking turns into bringing something new to practice and perfection, before moving onto a few short rounds of free wrestling. Though we performed pretty much the same task every day, she never failed to surprise me with her uncommon physical strength and burning competitive spirit.
Much has changed since the Beacon years, except for our feelings towards each other, and our daily training routine. Grappling was a virtually endless fighting style, and Yang showed increasingly interested in that art, although never quite casting aside her headstrong brawler nature. Sooner or later, our technical locks and tossing training escalated into heated rounds of boxing, which often left marks - mostly on my body, rather than hers. Not that I'd complain, though, those injuries and scars always brought out the best of her caring and protective nature.
And, thus, the inevitable happened. Thirty seconds out of the mat for a water break were all she needed to slip on her gel bandages and yellow boxing gloves. I can't help but sigh at her eagerness, and shake my head as I step back into the mat with my own gloves fastened for combat. Without a word, we touch gloves and start the round.
"Time to pop that winning streak, baby!" I taunted, shifting on my feet sideways to get a read on her strategy. "Sorry, pup, this one's out of your popping league!" She replies, blowing a kiss, and closes in with her guard up. Though our freestyle matches were usually even, I always had trouble trying plain ol' boxing against her. Kicking was a big part of her game, but she could do just fine without it. Grappling, on the other hand, was a major part of my strategy, and the lack of that option hindered my performance under that ruleset.
I try tossing a left jab at an opening in her guard, which she deftly evades for an inch by bending her torso back, and returns with a straight right blow. It crashes against my guard with enough might to knock me back a foot and create an opening for her follow-up. I managed to duck under a left hook and plant a jab straight at her nose, finishing with a powerful blow to her left flank before she backs up, clearing the distance.
Suddenly, as I saw her aura sparkle golden, I realized what I had been doing wrong all along, and felt rather stupid for falling into the same trap over and over. Nobody ever defeated Yang Xiao Long by brute force, and, as grappling was out of the options, all I could do was play defensively in the hope she'd eventually run out of gas and call for a stoppage. That Aura thing really looked like it drains one's stamina.
After several minutes of shielding and parrying her brutal assault, my plan seemed to have started to work. She wasn't as fast and powerful as in the beginning of the fight, but several strikes had still landed, and the damage was taking its toll on me. All in all, I was still standing, and she was gradually slowing down.
"You know how wolves hunt, cupcake?" I ask, pulling her into a clinch to buy some time.
"They gang up on their prey?" She asks, trying to pry free from the grip.
"Try again!"
"They Yang up on their prey?"
Well played. I let out a chuckle, and she seizes that moment of vulnerability to punish my right flank with a powerful blow, which forces me to free the clinch. My fault for being such a loudmouth.
"Still wrong, but that's one of the options…" I mutter, recovering from the strike, catching a few blows on my guard. The gloves started to weigh on my hands, but I was still a notch above my opponent. Yang's striking progressively got more and more careless, leaving wider openings whenever she left guard to attack. The thrill of knowing I had a real shot at vanquishing that beautiful beast kept my body standing.
"They hold pursuit at the prey's pace… And finish them off as soon as they're too winded out to keep running or fight back!" I pant, sidestepping out of one of her desperate swings and counter-attacking with a swift left uppercut, striking her dead in the gut. She stumbled back, wobbling, and I stood guard, flashing a proud smirk at my prey.
Yang recovers after a while, and freezes up in place, dropping her guard, leaning forwards slightly and squinting at the floor behind my feet. I look down, following her intrigued gaze, only to find myself staring at the mat with my guard wide open.
"Oh, shit…"
I snap my gaze back forward, attempting to rearm my defense, but it's too late. A yellow blur crashes against my face, and I pass out before my exhausted body collapses.
"Rise and shine, darling."
Slowly coming back to reality, I open my eyes, blinking, trying to regain focus as a pungent pain strikes my head, making me wince and groan. "How long did I stay out for?" I ask, slowly sitting upright, only to fall back against the couch.
"I'm afraid it's been… Niiiiine yeeears." Yang said in a weird accent, setting up a stool before the couch and taking her seat, elbows resting on her knees.
"I wouldn't doubt it. Damn, it hurts…"
A hand rests on my forehead, easing some of my discomfort. "You really outdid yourself today. I'm proud of you." She smiles serenely, running her fingers through my hair.
"That was a dirty trick, though. Played me like a damn fiddle." I chuckle, turning sideways to face her properly, and another jolt of pain strikes my body, this time under my left nipple. "Damn, I think I cracked a rib…"
The blondie laughs. "Hey, don't be a sore loser! You taught me that one yourself. Mind games are part of the art, so you said. And, don't worry, I haven't broken any bones of yours. Took my time to check it before carrying you back inside."
"I've been out for quite a while, then... Dang…" She opens her mouth to speak, but I raise a finger, interrupting her. "…And don't you dare. Your daily pun cap's full."
"Aw, it's no fun when you cut me off like that." Yang leans in to plant a soft smooch on my swollen lips, which I try my best to return, but my jaw feels awfully stiff.
"Here, have this." She hands me a pill and a glass of water, before standing up to head into the kitchenette. "I'll fix us something to eat."
"Thanks…" I grumble, sitting upright and taking the pill into my mouth, swallowing it along with all the water in the glass, setting the glass down at the center table and collapsing on my side. I hadn't felt that exhausted in a long time. After a while, Yang returns to the living room, and I lift my upper body to make room for her to seat, resting my head on her fair lap, letting out a long sigh.
"Funghi lasagna for dinner. I know you love it." She smiles down at me, moving her hand to rub my sore pectoral and abdominal muscles. My gastronomic preferences were clear even to distances acquaintances of mine, but hearing that from my wife always came up as a pleasant surprise. She knew me so well…
"Hey, we're supposed to have your sister over for dinner, aren't we?"
"Don't worry about that, sweetie. I'll handle her. And Zwei. For now, it's just you and me." She leans down to touch her forehead against mine, letting that wild, lush mane drape down around my face.
"Your hair smells great…" I whisper, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck.
"That's gross. I haven't even showered yet." She chuckles, kissing my forehead.
"Clean or sweaty, doesn't matter. Always smells great." I blow her a kiss as she leans back to relax against the couch, those hands gently working the tension out of my body.
"Alright, Doggie, mama needs to go have a shower and set the dinner table. I'll be right back."
"Did you just call me 'doggie'?" I crack my eyes open, furrowing my brows at her.
"What? No! I most definitely called you 'Dougie'." She smirks.
"That's funny, because I could swear I just heard you call me 'doggie'."
"I'm afraid I might have knocked your skull too hard, then. I said 'Dougie'."
"Are you positive?"
"Why, yes."
"I love you, Yang."
"Are you positive?" She asks, slipping out of her seat, setting a pillow under my head. I nod, with the silliest of smiles on my face. "I love you too…" She finishes, bringing herself in for another kiss before taking off for the shower. I close my eyes, wishing I were in proper physical condition to join her, and surrender into sleep before she returns downstairs.
Night had fallen by the time I came back around. The house was dark and silent. I look to the side, finding a warm body huddled close to mine, an eiderdown shielding us from the cold.
"Good night, Yang." I whisper to my sleeping wife before once again drifting off into unconsciousness.
Suddenly, all my pain was gone.