EMPEROR: RANK III

You've caught a pretty bad cold. You knew pushing yourself that first night when Tartarus was unstable would do a number on your body; you just weren't expecting it to ail you for three days. You miss school those three days, confined to your bed. Thankfully, your dorm mates constantly check on you.

The first day, Yukari stops by and gives you notes for classes you missed. She admonishes you for acting for recklessly. "Know your limits, okay, stupid? You gotta take care of yourself," she tells you disapprovingly, but you can sense a warmth behind her words.

The second day, Fuuka brings you soup she had bought from the store. She says that she thought of making you something, but was worried it wouldn't turn out good. You tell her she seems like she'd make a good cook, and Fuuka simply sighs and answers, "I wish."

And the third day, Junpei visits you. He's a little sheepish, still upset about what happened that night. You tell him it's okay, but Junpei doesn't look convinced. "I'll make it up to you, dude, I promise," he says to you. You nod.

By the fourth day, you're much better. You go to school and do your best to catch up on everything you missed. By the end of the day, you're feeling pretty good. Yukari's notes helped a lot. Junpei had lent you some of his notes as well, but seeing as they were filled with doodles and illegible writing, you had set them aside and given him a strained, "Thanks."

As you pack up, you wonder what to do. Then, you remember that Akihiko has boxing practice today. A light spar would be the perfect activity to stretch your muscles; after being bedridden for three days, you need the exercise before fighting again in Tartarus.

You make your way to the workout room where the boxing team is practicing. You quietly open the door and walk over to the same bench you had sat on before. Akihiko is busy giving some sort of pep talk, but a few members' attentions are diverted over to you. You give them a nod, and they look at each other before nodding back and turning to Akihiko.

Akihiko also glances over in your direction. You assume he knows why you're there, as he only pauses for a minute before continuing to talk to his teammates. They've got a big match coming up in a couple of months, and it sounds like Akihiko's making sure his team will be in the best shape possible. But, again, this motivation is more prevalent through his punches than his words. You study his every move carefully, from the way he tilts his fist slightly before getting ready to deal a blow to the way his back straightens tightly as he prepares to block an attack.

Before you know it, practice for the boxing team is over, and Akihiko is saying goodbye to everyone. The members file out slowly one by one, and five minutes later, the room is empty, save for you and Akihiko.

"Hey, Arisato. Thanks for waiting." Akihiko walks over, slinging a towel over his shoulder. His shirt is drenched in sweat, clinging close to his body. You can just make out the outline of well-toned muscles. "You sure you're okay to practice? You just recovered from that cold."

"How about you?" you say back good-naturedly. "Who wanted to jump right back into Tartarus after getting hurt?"

Akihiko chuckles softly. "I would have, if Mitsuru hadn't insisted. Well, anyway, I believe you. Here." He tosses a pair of boxing gloves at you. They're blue and slightly worn. "Can't get started without those. You won't be needing headgear, either. We'll take it easy for today." He sounds concerned. "I don't want you getting sick again."

"Yeah." You start to put on your gloves, but Akihiko stops you.

"You gotta stretch first. Just follow me." He begins, and you hurriedly drop your gloves to join him. He is very thorough, making sure that you're keeping up. After fifteen minutes, Akihiko gives you the okay. "Now you can put on the gloves," he says approvingly. You slip the blue gloves on. They fit perfectly. "Haha, you don't look half bad." He gives you a small grin. "Alright, come over here." He leads you to one of the punching bags.

You ask what you'll be starting with.

"Your stance," he answers. "That's the most important part of boxing. If you don't have solid control over your own body, there's no way you'll be able to beat somebody else. Now, I want you to pretend you're facing an opponent. How would you normally stand?"

You think a minute, then assume a pose like a character in a fighting game.

Akihiko chuckles softly. "No, that's going to get you beat up. Here." He comes closer and positions your arms. His hands are calloused and rough, but you don't mind. "This is what you should be doing…" You turn your head to face him, and he trails off as your dark blue eyes meet his light gray ones. You can just slightly feel his warm breath tickle your cheek as a hint of confusion crosses his face. "Uh, anyway, just keep your arms like that." He almost stumbles away, then realizes your legs need repositioning as well. "Watch my legs." From a comfortable distance, he shows you the proper form for your legs. You follow suit and do feel that your stance is more stable then before. Though, you're also intensely aware of what had just happened.

Akihiko seems to brush it off quickly, though. He soon launches into short descriptions about various punches and demonstrates a few of them on the bag. He invites you to try some, and for the next hour, you're throwing different types of punches over and over while Akihiko watches you. He chimes in now and then, mainly to let you know what you're doing wrong, what you're doing right, and when to use what punch. You didn't expect your brain to get such a workout, but, after the practice, you feel quite knowledgeable about the different boxing techniques.

Akihiko throws you a water bottle. "I'm impressed. You picked up on everything pretty quickly."

"Thanks." Taking off your gloves, you uncap the bottle and begin to drink. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Akihiko is watching you. You feel slightly self-conscious, given what had happened earlier. You wipe the stray drops of water from your lips and walk over to the lockers to get your things.

There's a short silence, and you can hear Akihiko's calm breathing before he says, "Well, anyway, we should probably take a shower."

"Together?" you ask, momentarily forgetting who you're with. Junpei's had a bit of an effect on you; you're much more prone to make dirty jokes. As the realization that you're not with Junpei slaps you across the face, you silently admonish yourself. Turning around, you start to say, "I'm joking-"

You pause. Just for a moment, you see that same confusion in Akihiko's face that you saw earlier. Then, a pinch of red starts to form around the tips of his ears. If he's flustered, though, you don't notice it in his words, as he firmly says, "Separate showers. You know what I mean." He sighs, though he doesn't seem annoyed, like how he usually reacts when his fangirls vehemently proclaim how sexy he is. "Arisato, you've been hanging around Iori too much for your own good."

He hit the nail right on the head. You laugh and shrug. "That is most likely the cause."

"Well, that's Iori for you." Akihiko shrugs as well and joins you at the lockers. He opens his own, effectively making a barrier between your face and his. You wonder if his ears are still red. "You can go on ahead."

You sense that he's a bit hesitant to enter the shower area with you. You simply answer that you'll see him later and head over to the showers. You pick the shower at the end of the first row, quickly undress, and pull the curtain close. Right before you turn the water on, you realize your mistake in your haste to get inside. Cold water comes pouring down, and you let out a small gasp. After a few seconds that feel like an eternity, the water becomes comfortably warm.

The pleasant temperature slowly calms you. As you quietly contemplate your relationship with Akihiko, his social link grows in power once more. The heat and the increase in strength spin your head for a couple of seconds.

Shortly afterward, you can hear someone else, presumably Akihiko, turn on a shower. You take this chance to shut off your own shower and dry as quickly as you can. "I'll be heading back, Akihiko-senpai," you say before leaving.

"Yeah, see you later," comes Akihiko's reply.

You think about waiting for him, then figure a walk together might be a little awkward. You double-check you have everything before exiting the room.