Chapter 9: Preparations
The rest of the week was spent like this, this being hiding under the covers of my dark room. The Headmaster would knock and enter every few hours, offering me food or drink or even just someone to talk to. I denied all three, not wanting anything more from life.
Well, I suppose that wasn't completely true, I did want some things out of life. But all of those things seemed out of reach or impossible. Like getting my high school years back or getting my parents back. Neither would ever happen, so I hid. I hid under the thick white covers without a second thought. Because I knew a second thought would bring a third thought, and these thoughts would bring memories and realities and sorrow. And I've had enough sorrow for one lifetime.
I had been waiting for Shizuka Hio this entire week, but she hasn't come yet. She just complained endlessly in my thoughts. "Please, kill me now," I would sob to her, begging for an out. She would just sigh and respond with a "You're no fun anymore".
It was frustrating, not being enough for her. I wanted her to be satisfied, to win already. Not in the way Ichiru craved to please her though. I longed for death, and though Ichiru wanting to please Shizuka Hio was, in the long run, death as well, it was still different. I wanted it as a way out, Ichiru had fallen in love, and in the long run would die for her.
The knock on the door disrupted my mental classification of Ichiru and I. I shut my eyes and pulled the blankets further around me, forming a cocoon of comfort. When there was another knock I became curious. The Headmaster would just knock once and then enter, who was this?
Moments and two more knocks passed and the door slowly creaked open. Heavy footsteps entered the room and shut the door. The sound of the stool sliding to the edge of my fortress filled my ears for a couple of seconds and then stopped in front of me. I heard a slight squeak as weight was added to the chair, and then, silence.
I held off for a couple minutes till my curiosity got the best of me. I slowly lowered my arm, allowing the top of my head and eyes to show, but continuing to conceal my nose and mouth.
Before me sat the great Toga Yagari, looking exactly how he had when I first met him. His one good eye stared down at me, a look of disgust and concern covering his face. That was a look only a hunter like him could give, one carrying both disgust and concern. For some reason it didn't bother me. I knew he wasn't going to fuss over me, he was going to tell it like it is. Maybe I could use that.
"Tell me," He started. "Tell me why the hell you're hiding like a coward under a goddamn blanket." I was silent at his words. He and I both knew exactly why I was cowering, what a stupid question.
"Akane. I asked you a question." He reminded, his voice stern.
I opened my mouth, which was still hidden by the covers, and tried to speak. I then realized I hadn't spoken for a full week, my only noises being sobbing and snoring. I tried to form words but found it difficult.
Eventually a scratchy voice that belonged to me responded, "I'm not cowering. I'm accepting my fate. It's time. I waited too long." Yagari hung on every one of my words. When I finished he just shook his head no.
"Who taught you all you know? About life that is." The dark haired man asked. That was easy, and I gave him a straight forward response.
"My parents." I whispered.
"Well they did a shitty job if this is your solution to the problem." He spat. His words stung, more than almost any pain I've ever felt in my entire life. Speaking ill of the dead was a disgusting thing to do. I slowly began to pull the cover off of my full face and sit up. It felt odd to move like this, but I pushed through.
"What the hell did you just say?" I let out, fire growing in my chest with rage. Yagari smiled at my reaction.
"I said, your parents did a shitty job, raising you like a quitter." Yagari slowly stood from the stool, backing into the center of the room. I placed my feet firmly on the floor and followed, staring him down with utter hate. "Don't talk about my parents like that." I ordered, running a hand through my tangled, auburn hair.
"Well, I did talk about them like that, and what is a little girl like you gonna do about it, lay down and cry? You'll prove me right, so go ahead." He taunted. What the hell was his problem? Why was he doing this to me? Why was he being so cruel? "You're pathetic."
I couldn't handle his hurtful words any longer. He could mess with me all he wanted, but speaking badly towards my parents was in no way okay.
"Take it back!" I yelled as I dove for the tall man. He took the hit, getting pushed up against the wall as I held his throat. After a couple seconds he retaliated, flipping me to my right and holding my arms against the wall. I kneed him in the gut, looking for an escape, but his response was to knee me back. I was stuck, left helpless under his grasp. I gasped for air, through the pain of the knee, remembering my wounds that were there just weeks before. At that tears began to fall down my face, but that didn't stop me from wiggling my wrists under his grasp. I kept fighting, not making any progress.
"Let me go!" I cried out, kicking my legs. "Just leave me alone! I just want to die!"
At this the door bursted open and the Headmaster entered, speechless to the scene in front of him. Yagari didn't look back at him though, he continued to stare into my tear filled eyes.
"Did they die so you could give up?!" He yelled into my face. "Did they, Akane?!"
I felt like I was suffocating under the magnitude of his question. I knew the right answer, but the right answer just seemed so far away and distant. The right answer was too difficult to reach, the wrong answer just took me laying in bed. The wrong answer would end my suffering immediately.
"Answer me, Akane!" Tears continued to run down my cheeks as I spewed out an answer. "N-no!" I yelled back with force. "No they didn't! B-but I can't win! The games over Yagari! This is what she's wanted the whole time!" Sobs ended my sentence. I felt Yagari loosen his grip a bit, but still held me in place. Behind him I could see the Headmaster staring at us, Zero and Yuki now by his side. They all stood, wide eyed, serious faces. For the first time in what felt like forever I locked eyes with Zero. I didn't lose eye contact even as Yagari spoke.
"Are you gonna give up then?! Are you gonna let her kill you like you were nothing?!" I looked at Zero, up and down. I examined him from his black shoes to messy tie to tangled hair. I mouthed the words I am sorry to the teen with silver hair and then turned to Yagari.
"I won't give up." I whispered to him, shaking my head no desperately. "I'll fight her when she comes. I promise."
Yagari responded with a smile and then, unexpectedly, pulled me into an embrace. I let him hug me for a few moments and whispered thank you into his chest. I was so grateful for a man like Yagari, he was tough, something that I wasn't.
Yagari then excused himself along with the Headmaster and Yuki. Zero didn't move from the doorway, he just continued to stare at me. His eyes didn't hide the conflicting emotions going rushing through him. I frowned, I knew my apology wasn't enough, but it was all I had for him.
Zero took a step forward to be completely in front of me. "Every weekday right after school, weekends at six am, in the gym." Then the boy walked off. I didn't really understand what he meant, but I was just glad to hear the boys voice once again.
The following day was Monday, a day in which I spent loitering around the Headmasters house while he was out on business. I read a couple books off of his living room shelf and then cleaned the house spotless. I'd hoped that would eliminate some of his buckets of stress. If anyone deserved a break, it was him.
I checked the digital clock in the kitchen over and over, waiting for 1:30 so I would go get ready. Zero had said weekdays after school, and I had been waiting all day to find out what that meant. I was usually a patient person, but that was only when I knew what I was waiting for. My curiosity triumphs over my patience every time, making situations like these monotonous.
I sprinted to my room, I had stopped referring it as my temporary room since Yagari knocked some sense into me, literally. I bolted towards the wardrobe and flung it open, collecting a monotone black skirt and a deep red crop top. I threw my hair into a messy bun to top it all off. I was, to say the least, excited to see Zero. I had no idea what he had in store for me, but I didn't care. He finally spoke to me, which meant he couldn't completely hate me for what happened to Ichiru.
Unless he wants you dead too. A voice in the back of my mind whispered. I recognized it as Shizuka Hio.
Fuck off, I ordered her. Even though it didn't feel right to say, I fought past the Pureblood to servant instinct that told me to apologize. That was probably the worst part of all this, the lack of control I have when it comes to my instincts towards her.
But thanks to the previous night's events I felt this new sense of confidence when it came to Shizuka. I was still afraid, she still had an unfair amount of power over me. But I suppose Yagari gave me that push that I needed, and I was forever grateful for that.
I decided not to skip out on shoes this time and tied a pair of black Vans onto my petite feet. Then, armed myself with my knives under my skirt. I left the Headmasters house by about 1:55 and began my walk over to the gymnasium. As I walked closer and closer to the school buildings more and more students appeared, bustling past me like I wasn't there.
The girls seemed the most rowdy out of all the students, announcing that they had to grab dinner before "going", going where I had no idea. I decided to ignore the excitement surrounding me and continued on to the gym.
I entered the oversized room to find it empty. The silver and black stands lined the walls, each step bringing the bleachers higher, and the basketball court sat in the center. A blue wrestling mat sat in the center of the basketball court, probably set up for a wrestling or cheer practice. I decided to sit on the stands and wait. I chose a spot at the bottom and began waiting for Zero. The clock above the door read 2:07, which worried me because Zero had said right after school.
As if reading my thoughts the silver haired boy entered the gymnasium. He was wearing a white tee and a pair of gray sweat pants. He looked at me and I gave him a small, awkward smile. He walked over and stood above me, I stayed in my seat.
"So, what happens here after school?" I asked. He looked down and gave the tiniest smile I've ever witnessed. "Training." He replied. This confused me, why would Zero invite me to a training? I didn't have anything to train for.
"Training for what?" Just as Zero was about to answer Toga Yagari entered the room. "So you brought a friend, Zero? Fine. Wont make me go any easier on you." He told Zero. I still stood utterly confused. Yagari was apart of this too?
"Okay, lets start with some simple sparing." The adult ordered.
"Wait," I interrupted. "Whats going on? Why are we sparing?" Toga looked at me and then Zero and back. "So he didn't tell you what we do here?" I shook my head no. "Nice, Zero. Very polite. Well, I train with Zero here after school and on weekends. It helps with his hunting."
I looked at Zero, who was still standing in front of me silently. I stared at him for an explanation.
Zero looked down at me and started talking. "You said you weren't going to just wait for death, so I figured we could help you train for Shizuka Hio. You did say you would fight her."
I thought about what Zero was saying for a minute. It was such a kind gesture, to offer help to me like this. But all I could do was shake my head no at the teens innocence.
"It won't work," I told him, staring into his lilac eyes. "I will never be able to beat her, maybe with training I'll hold up a good fight, but she'll always win." Zero diverted his eyes from me once I finished, obviously not wanting to show how he felt about this. He knew though, he was a hunter and a level-D. He knew that it was a battle with one ending and one ending only.
"Obviously," Yagari commented. "But, maybe Zero has the right idea here. Some training never hurt anybody. How much do you know?"
"About fighting?" I answered. "I know about knives." I pulled a knife out of the holster as an example. "Show me." Yagari ordered with a nod. I nodded back and looked around the room. There was a boxing dummy across the court, mimicking a buff man without arms, about 30 away from where I was standing. I juggled the knife from one hand to another, analyzing the target. I placed the knife in my left hand, pulled back slowly, and threw. It flipped through the air and hit the dummy in the left peck, upon contact I let out a low curse. To far left for my liking.
Yagari clapped a few times in praise. "Nice," he commented. I shook my head no. I could do better. I repeated my formation once more, raising the second knife. I shut my eyes for a moment and remembered my dads advice.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Akane." My father ordered. We stood in the backyard, throwing knives into a painted red target drawn on the tree. I huffed and puffed in response, frustrated at my attempts. I hadn't hit the target once today, while my father hadn't thrown anything less than perfect. I threw another, spinning with the throw for extra power. It hit the trunk right under the target, making me breath even heavier.
"Akane," My father began again. "Focus. Slow down and look at the target. Slow your breathing, then release." I looked at my father and then looked at the ground. "I'll never be as good as you." I told him.
My father walked over to my younger self, just breaking into my teenage years my uncut bangs fell into my face. He pushed them out of my face and spoke. "Don't say that, thats just not true. You are going to be great, but you have to want it. And you can't give up. Now do what I told you."
I opened my eyes and focused on the center of the target. I slowed my breathing and began to pull back. With a small smile creeping onto my face I threw the knife while letting out a relaxed breath. It made contact with the center of the targets chest, a perfect shot.
I turned to Yagari and Zero, who were both smirking at my throw. "Perfect." Zero commented. I replied with a quiet thanks and looked at Yagari.
"What about close range fighting?" He asked. I shrugged in response. My father and I hadn't done too much of that before his passing.
"I'm not as skilled in close range fighting." I told him. "Okay, then that's what we'll work on." He smiled. "Lets see how much you know. You and Zero on the mat, like I said before." My eyes jumped between the two of them and the blue padding on the court.
Zero was dramatically taller than me, my head only came up to his chin. In addition, he was strong, his muscle tone was visible by simple glance. I had no chance, especially if he was already trained.
Zero stood across from me on the mat, looking me up and down. He stopped and looked at Yagari. "She's wearing a skirt." He announced. I giggled at his statement, which made him shoot a glare at me. "I always wear skirts. What is the problem?" I challenged. Zero looked at me with a face that said, 'don't make me say it'. I let out another laugh. "I'm just messing with you. I always have spandex under, see." I lifted the leg of my skirt a bit to show a pair of black spandex. "If I didn't wear skirts then I couldn't get away with walking around with a whole set of knives. It's easier this way."
Yagari chuckled at Zero's awkwardness, making Zero blush a bit. "Okay, okay." Yagari breathed. "Next time just wear some pants, kay?" I nodded, a stupid smile still plastered on my face.
Yagari clapped his hands and stood at the edge of the mat. "Okay, lets get going. Go!" At his words Zero and I launched towards each other, both going for a lower tackle. I beat him to it, being faster and trying to use that to my advantage. I knocked him to the ground, but just barley. My strength was nowhere near where it would need to be to defeat the boy.
I landed on top of Zero, trying to pin him as best I could. He easily overpowered me, throwing me to his right. I quickly rolled, avoiding his mount. I pushed to my feet again and we began circling each other again. Zero moved this time, going for another tackle, one that I couldn't avoid. He rested on top of me and held his hand on my throat, pinning me.
I stared into Zero's eyes and he mine. I again got caught up in the endless stories the boys eyes told, there were so much emotion. At the moment is showcased how much he wanted to win, and he did.
Yagari smiled at his pupils victory. "Alright." He commented. "Zero, that should have been an easier match for you, so stop slacking." Zero nodded and whispered a "yes master" between his huffs. Zero unmounted me and rolled into a sitting position on the mat next to me, trying to catch his breath. I sat myself up and did the same. Zero was too strong for me, I would have to try harder.
"Akane, you need to bulk up." Yagari read my thoughts. I nodded at him. "We can work on close range fighting with the both of you, obviously you both need practice." I giggled at Yagari's joke, and even saw a small smile creep onto Zero's hair covered face.
Okay, so this one is a bit on the short side, and it's late. Please don't hate me for that, I've been dealing with a lot of personal and school related issues lately, so an update had to be pushed back, but just a little. I hope you enjoyed this chapter though! It was super heavy and depressing at the beginning, so I tried to lighten it up near the end a bit.
Question: Do you like Akane's relationships with Yagari and Zero?
My favorite relationship related event in this chapter was Yagari pushing Akane to not give up. It seemed like a second father, which was really heart warming to write, especially in such a dark point in the story. Also, Zero branching out more and more brought a smile to my, and hopefully your, face.
Thank you immensely for looking at my words! Have a lovely day!