You clenched your teeth in frustration as you aimed your right hand at the target once again and missed. You growled and hit yourself on the arm as punishment.

“Training hard?”

You jumped up and turned around, the person’s voice breaking your focus. You sighed and let your tensed shoulders drop when you recognized the person’s face.

The head trainer stared at you with his normal calm expression, his signature smile on his face. “Sorry, did I distract you?”

You shrugged. “It’s okay. I wasn’t really getting it anyway.”

“Have you even taken a break after school ended today?”

You looked down. “No...”

He walked over and gently laid his hand on your shoulder. “I think you should take a break.”

You shook your head with determination. “I don’t think so. The fight is in two days.”

“Which is exactly why you need rest.”

“But it’s in two days!” You repeated, this time with an impatient tone in your voice.

“I am well aware of that.” He said evenly, staring at you with hard eyes. “You’re going to kill yourself if you continue training.”

“No, I’m not!” You retorted sharply.

He sighed and shook his head. “Go back to your dorm and have a little fun. You can come back tomorrow.”

It was an order and you knew it. Sighing with defeat, you headed back towards the changeroom, wishing you were still training.

“It’s for your own good!” The trainer called out to you.


~~~~~~~~~~~


“Back so soon?”

You slammed the door closed behind you as you walked in, the soles of your black flats scratching gently on the wooden floorboards. “Yeah. He made me stop.”

Nana walked out and smiled at you, her arms crossed. “That was smart of him. I was going to tell you the same thing.”

You crossed your arms and faced her directly. “Wouldn’t you be doing the same thing if the fight was tomorrow?”

She shook her head with a playful smile. “I wouldn’t.”

You blinked. “What?”

“I’d do my best to have fun before I fight.”

You replied with a shake of your head. “Waste of time.”


~~~~~~~~~~~

You turned in your bed and buried your head under your pillows, unable to sleep.

The fight is tomorrow and i can’t even sleep, ugh...

Angrily, you took your pillow and pressed it against your face, sighing into the white fabric. After a few more moments, you threw the covers off your body and swung your legs over the edge of the bed.

Pulling on a light sweater, you left the room, leaving your roommate still sound asleep.

You wandered out into the eerily dark corridors of the school, cringing as you pushed open the door to the outside, shivering slightly at the silence.

The world outside was cold and quiet, only illuminated by the moonlight coming from the sky.

Not realizing you were still barefooted, you started walking, wandering out into the human world. You felt a small smile appear on your lips as you stopped at the place, recognizing the familiar willow trees sweeping the ground.

You pushed aside the soft, leafy branches and sat down on the damp grass, falling back so the soft grass tickled your neck. Looking up at the starry sky, you wondered why there wasn’t anything so beautiful in the world you belonged in.

You breathed out, smiling when you saw your own breath appearing in the cold air. You wrapped your thin sweater closer to your body, the scratchy fabric rubbing against your smooth skin.

You blinked as you watched the twinkling stars from above.

A stream of silver burst from your right, and you almost gasped aloud.

You smiled at the shooting star and shut your eyes tightly, clasping your hands together.

“I wish I could win the fight tomorrow.” You whispered into the clouds above, hoping that something up in the inky sky above would answer your prayers.

Getting up, you pushed your way out of the willows again, the frosty grass melting under your bare feet.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~