Chapter 1

The room was eerily silent as everyone watched the lone dancing figure in the room. Sakura flitted beautifully around the room with movement that was both precise and powerful. Every punch and kick emanated power that one would not believe could come from such a small body. Her concentration never faltered as she showed off to her fellow group members who all watched her in admiration.

“Sakura Sake!” she shouted, breaking the silence, as she pointed her finger at a nearby tree. A burst of pinkish light streamed from her index finger and went through the middle of the trunk leaving a gaping hole. She didn’t even get a chance to admire her work before she was mobbed by everyone present.

“You did it, Sakura!” Eunbi exclaimed, grabbing Sakura in a bear hold of a hug.

“I couldn’t have done it without your help, Eunbi,” she blushed, feeling shy at the sudden lack of personal space. She saw her best friend’s smiling face among those crowded around her. “Chaeyeon, you too. Without your help mastering the steps, I don’t think I could have gotten there.”

“No, it was all you. You’ve worked really hard,” Chaeyeon replied while shaking her head. Even though she also wanted to show her affection right then and there, she knew she would get her chance when they were back in their dorm at the school.

Nako pushed her way through the throng of overly tall members to be the next in line to grab Sakura into a warm embrace. “Saku-chan,” she could only murmur over and over as she was at a loss at what to say to her long-time friend and mentor. She was not one to get overly teary, but her pride welled up and she could only hug Sakura tightly.

“Minju, I barely felt anything,” Yujin commented as she took the full force of Minju’s punch on her chest.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” Minju immediately apologized and then realized her mistake as the younger girl crouched down and swept her off her feet with a spinning kick.

Wonyoung sighed as she ticked off another mark on Yujin’s side of the scoreboard. The three of them held an impromptu training session after watching Sakura’s performance earlier. Among all the members, Sakura seemed to be the one that inspired everyone to try harder. “I hope you don’t start crying again.”

“Hey! You promised we wouldn’t talk about that again,” Minju pouted. It flustered her that despite being the oldest one there, she was still getting teased.

Yujin lent a hand to Minju and pulled her back up to her feet. “And you believed us? We only said that to get you to stop crying in the first place,” she couldn’t help but add in.

Minju dusted herself off and went over to where Wonyoung had been watching them. If she protested any more, the teasing would just get worse. Instead, she changed the subject. “Wasn’t Sakura’s technique amazing?”

“Yeah, I always knew she could do it,” Yujin agreed enthusiastically. She was Sakura’s self-proclaimed number one fan.

“She didn’t pass the entrance exams second over all for nothing you know.” Wonyoung wasn’t saying it to brag as she came in first in this year’s exam. She genuinely was impressed by Sakura’s achievement in coming second. There was a lot of competition and this was the first year that so many foreign candidates were invited for the chance to attend the prestigious martial arts school.

“You studied her profile before the exam, right?” Minju asked Yujin.

“Yeah, she was pretty well known in the martial arts world as one of the top fighters of her generation. She was even famous in China.” It was said that all martial arts originated from Shaolin Kung Fu. For the Chinese to even be in awe of Sakura spoke of her former power.

The massacre of Sakura’s former clan was well known in the martial arts world. While her clan was strong in the qi arts, they were still decimated by an unknown group. Sakura, Nako, and Hitomi were among the few that managed to survive. All the survivors were left with varying degrees of internal injuries that robbed them of their former qi levels. Most of them were left effectively cripples in the eyes of martial artists.

Sakura lost friends, family, and years of cultivated martial arts skills and yet her inner fire still burned bright. She came to a foreign land and applied entry into a martial arts school that was diametrically different than her previous one. While qi arts are important, their school focussed mostly on technique and skill.

“I wonder what she was like before all her meridian points were damaged,” Wongyoung mused.

“Her inner qi was so strong she could have just whispered a word and the tree this morning would have been obliterated.” Yujin had been excited to hear that Sakura was participating in this year’s exam. Even seeing her idol so much weaker than in all the stories she’d heard, she had not been disappointed.

“You could see that she was special after the first exam evaluation,” Minju said, not to be outdone by Yujin’s fangirling over Sakura. Despite having a qi level even lower than Minju’s, Sakura showed her determination and guts to overcome her handicap. It became apparent as the examinations went on that the teachers were evaluating growth potential as much as they were looking at each student’s current skill. “I wonder what made her pick me to be part of her team.”

It ached Yujin’s heart a bit to see Minju’s wistful expression. “I would have picked you to be on my team too if I had had the chance.”

“Yes yes,” Minju nodded, not believing Yujin as usual. “I mean, I wasn’t the fastest, strongest, or smartest. But, when she came up to me and said she needed me, it was as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I’d never been told I was needed before that day…”

Yujin sighed as she looked at Wonyoung. It was difficult to get through to Minju when she went on like this.

“I was completely surrounded by twenty of their strongest fighters. They were all mean looking and came at me all together. That was when I unleashed my Super Yena Punch and they all flew flying backwards,” Yena boasted as she demonstrated with a straight right punch.

“Wait, if they were all surrounding you, how did the ones behind you get blown away as well,” Hitomi asked with wide eyed innocence.

Chaewon, who was sitting close to Hitomi, nudged her secretly with her elbow. The kid, as adorable as she was, had a serious mean streak sometimes.

Yena became flustered and immediately started twirling around. “I meant I hit them with my Super Yena SPINNING LARIOT Punch. It’s the third of my self-created Eighteen Yena Punch skills.”

“Ah,” Hitomi nodded as if understanding and gave Chaewon a nudge back to show that she was contrite about teasing Yena. “Still, I don’t see how this helps me catch up to Senpai… I mean Sakura,” Hitomi said changing the subject. In their previous life in Japan, Hitomi had actually belonged to a minor branch of the main school to which Sakura and Nako where a part of. Having joined that school much later then the two of them, she was having a difficult time not recognizing Sakura and Nako as her seniors.

“Yena is saying you should try and take advantage of your innate talents more,” Yuri interjected before her best friend could divert the conversation again. “She, for example, is naturally very strong. She will tend to focus on arts that require muscle.” She smiled as she saw Hitomi write down everything she said. Among all the students, Hitomi, as Yuri like to think, was the most diligent.

This focus on individual talents was almost completely foreign to Hitomi. In her last school, all students learned the same style of qi arts. While they also learned different stances and fighting forms, they were all secondary and meant only to be used to help them focus on raising their qi levels as high as possible. Unfortunately, their previous ways of increasing their qi levels using qi arts was no longer possible after the enemy’s attack damaged all their internal energies. All the surviving students had fled to Korea to learn another way cultivate their abilities.

 “I was luckier than Sakura and Nako after the purge. I only lost half of my former power so I didn’t have to start from the bottom in cultivating my qi levels again. How is that that the two of them have improved so much faster than I have?”

“Hii-chan, in our school, increasing one’s qi level relies on one to challenge themselves. One thing that they are doing better than you at is challenging themselves. You, along with Chaeyeon Unnie and Eunbi Unnie, are one of the best in the school at learning new forms. But I think, you might be too much of a genius. You learn things too easily and quickly. While you’re becoming an even better fighter in terms of pure skill, your internal powers have not really improved.  You should try challenging the Formless style.” Yuri pulled out a dusty old martial arts tome and placed it in front of Hitomi.

Chaewon glanced at Yuri worriedly. The Formless style was one of the most difficult styles to master. It took Chaeyeon and Eunbi years to understand it. “Maybe it’s too early for Hitomi. I’m sure there are other martial art forms that we can find for her to try.”

Hitomi took a quick glance through the tome and was perplexed. “These all seem very basic. Definitely not harder than anything I’ve learned so far.” Her specialty was in learning and mastering many different fighting forms and she knew she could probably beat everyone in her old school if qi arts were not allowed. She had gotten the chance to prove this during the examination as one of the topics had had a restriction on the use of qi. On an even playing field, she showed that some of the foreign students were able to stand toe to toe with Korean students in skill and technique. It was hard being told that being too good a something was preventing her from improving.

“That’s why it’s so hard,” Yena piped up. It was her chance to show that she really was a senior student and it wasn’t all for show. “The Formless style is like its name. It has no form. After you managed to memorize all these basic moves, the trick is then to forget them all. When you fight, your body knows a hundred different ways to react. The more you learn, the more you think about how to counter attack. A master of the Formless style is able to react instantaneously by doing instead of thinking”

“Chaewon Unnie, I think even if Hitomi struggles to learn this, it’s a good thing,” Yuri replied to her senior’s earlier comment.

“You’re right,” Chaewon admitted. She hated watching Hitomi practice and practice with so much effort with little to show for it. Many of the other examinees had been envious of Hitomi since she managed to keep some of her former power and many of them thought that she used that power to garner a spot in the school. None of them knew that only made the girl work twice as hard to prove that deserved to be admitted. Her lack of improvement only made the gossip worse, but Hitomi didn’t let anyone see how much it hurt her. “How about we study it together?” she asked Hitomi.

Hitomi’s naturally rosy cheeks seemed to glow brighter when she heard Chaewon’s question. “Of course!”

“I can help too. I know all about forgetting basic moves,” Yena proudly stated.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s the same thing, Hitomi thought and somehow managed to keep to herself.

“You can’t do it without me, your mentor” Yuri jumped in. If she wasn’t there, Yena would just slow Hitomi down.

Nako followed Eunbi’s complex hand motions easily. Throughout the examination, Nako had demonstrated why many people had labeled her a prodigy and a genius. In their old school, she had entered the upper levels of the of best students almost immediately. While she, like Sakura, had lost all of her previous internal power, she had the utmost belief in her own abilities and that she would regain all that she lost.

Sakura has been her main worry as her former senpai, although a genius in many things, a prodigy in martial arts, she was not. Yet, time and time again, Sakura proved otherwise, beating out many of the geniuses and prodigies that were fighting for a spot in the school including Nako herself.

“You’re doing it again,” Eunbi gently mentioned as she looked adoringly at Nako.

“Sorry,” Nako said as she slapped both hands on her cheeks to stop herself from grinning widely like a maniac.

Everything the smaller girl did was cute. “You’re acting like you’re her mom.” Even though Eunbi said this, she felt the same way sometimes. Sakura often gave off this strange feeling of vulnerability. At times like that, all Eunbi wanted to do to was protect the younger woman as if she were a baby.

“I can’t help it I guess. I was so angry when I heard people complain that she didn’t deserve to be ranked so high!” Nako nearly choked as she spat out the words.

There were also times where the smaller girl was extremely scary looking. Eunbi immediately stopped and grabbed the girl into a deep embrace. Nako was surprised and struggled a bit before she gave in and let the older woman mother her. “Calmed down?”

“No,” Nako said as she wanted to be babied just a bit longer. She had to remind herself that Sakura was no longer her only remaining ‘family’ member. Eunbi let her go after what Nako still felt was too short a time. Although, Eunbi did not rank as highly as many of the members in the final examination, her empathy made her be chosen as the group’s leader. Nako was always surprised at how Eunbi always seemed to know when someone in the group needed praising, scolding, or suffocation between her s.

“Let’s get back to work,” Eunbi said, brushing the incident aside. “You’re doing well with even with the harder divine skills.”

“They’re very similar to the qi arts and skills I learned before,” Nako replied after giving a thought as to why things came easily to her.

“Things that should be very difficult to comprehend, you grasp so easily,” Eunbi admired. “If they were so similar, I wouldn’t be having so much trouble learning the Japanese qi arts.” Qi arts relied on internal power grown over time as the practitioner focussed their energies through meditation and self reflection. The divine skills that Eunbi learned from an early age relied on a mind and body that was honed over many years of hard training. How anyone could think they were similar was beyond her.

It was Nako’s turn to treat the other like a child. “Well, I don’t mean that they’re exactly the same. But you’re doing quite well. You’ve already managed to incorporate some of arts we’ve taught you. Your inner energy is already much stronger than any first-year student.” She didn’t feel the need to tell her that all the upperclassmen in her previous school considered first-year students to be babies.

Part of the reason the Korean school had invited their Japanese counterparts to join the examination was so that there would be an exchange of martial arts philosophy. While the Japanese students could no longer exercise their qi arts, nothing prevented them from teaching what they knew, so it gave the Korean students an opportunity in strengthening one of their weaker areas.

“Yeah,” Eunbi grudgingly agreed. Previously, she had to risk both mental and physical health to reach the next qi level as she tried to challenge her mind and body further and further. “Our methods for increasing our qi levels must seem barbaric to you.”

The spartan training that the Korean students all did was pretty ridiculous to Nako at first. But she stuck with it all the same and the results showed for themselves as Nako who entered the school in last place shot through the rankings. “I think both training methods have their merits. If I knew then what I know now, I think I wouldn’t have doubted my own abilities so much before.”

Eunbi gave the girl’s hand a squeeze. Nako had grown from under Sakura and the rest of her senpais long shadow. Becoming so strong so quickly was not seen favorably among her peers back in her old school, compared to here where Nako’s growth was celebrated among the students. “I think we trained long enough. I think we deserve a reward.”

“But my diet…” Nako started to say.

Sakura moaned softly as she relaxed in the hot spring. After a hardworking day, nothing really beat a hot spring. She glanced at the far ends of the spring and found her two constant companions equally apart from each other. “Why are we sitting so far from each other?”

“Ah, no reason,” Chaeyeon blushed, looking up and around, anywhere but at her best friend’s body. There’s no reason to be so self-conscious. We’ve seen each other all the time ever since we became best friends. We share the same dorm for heaven’s sake.

“Kang-chan, why don’t you come over here?” Sakura asked. She was kind of feeling lonely as she was used to both her friends clinging on to her at every waking moment.

Kang Hyewon felt herself at a crossroads. She considered herself a very honest person and never failed to let Sakura know how much she loved her, even though the other girl thought of it as familial love. For the first time, she felt as if she didn’t know herself as she outright lied to Sakura, “Um, I’m good.”

Chaeyeon tried to look over at Hyewon and immediately averted her eyes as soon she saw what she thought was the tall mysterious girl’s beautiful body line through the water. What is wrong with me. Even Hyewon!? She needed to talk as all this blushing and thinking in the hot water was making her braincells evaporate away. “I’m so glad you were able to successfully complete the ‘Sakura Sake’ move today.”

“It’s far from complete,” Sakura said quietly, staring into the distance. “For the first time in a long time, I felt as if I could get a grasp of my former power.”

“Do you miss the power?” Hyewon ask Sakura directly. It was the that forlorn look that had drawn her like a moth to flame. She had caught herself staring more than once just as she was doing right now.

“I was angry that my power hadn’t been enough. I had thought good riddance when I couldn’t even summon the energy to blow a candle out. But you miss what you don’t have. Over time, I realized how much I had taken it for granted. No longer could I protect my friends and family. No longer could I deal out justice for the weak. No longer could I reach the top of the world.” She let out a deep sigh again.

Chaeyeon forgot all about her insecurities as she waded towards Sakura. She didn’t say anything as she sat beside her friend and after awhile, she felt the other girl’s head upon her shoulder. She smiled as she saw Hyewon come over to Sakura’s other side. From the corner of her eye, she could see the two girls holding hands. The three of them sat like that for awhile; Sakura leaned against Chaeyeon while clutching Hyewon’s hand.

“You will be able to reach it again,” Chaeyeon promised. Somehow, Sakura’s dream had become everyone’s dream. The dream of reaching the world’s best.

Hyewon didn’t know when, but she knew now without a doubt, that she had also fallen for Chaeyeon. The other girl’s kind and gentle love for Sakura and all their members had swayed her pure heart. She never once really gave consideration to others when she found something or someone that she liked. But she found herself hesitating in her pursuit of Sakura now when Chaeyeon was nearby. “WE’LL reach it together,” Hyewon corrected.

Author’s note:

I’ve wanted to write an Iz*One story for awhile now. Nothing really formulated until just recently. Luckily, in time for me to release it today on Sakura’s birthday.

I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter. Let me know what you thought!