Hikari held back a sigh as she packed her karate clothes into her bag and grabbed her book bag from her cabinet. The sun was getting lower in the sky by the time she turned off the light to the locker room. She mentally kicked herself for staying as late as she did talking to the younger members. She didn’t mind talking to them, but in hindsight, she couldn’t remember anything they had said, which made it seem like nothing more than a distraction that kept her from going home.
She stopped when she noticed the door to the Karate Club’s training hall was open. She couldn’t hold back the sigh. “I guess one of the first-years forgot to lock up again. What a pain.” Her musings were broken when she noticed the body lying on the floor. Setting her bags by the door, she walked over toward the body, seeing then that it was a boy. His arms and legs were sprawled out on the wooden floor, his mouth open wide as he snored. He must’ve been a first-year.
She crouched next to him, noting how his brown hair was long enough to cover his eyes, and poked him in the cheek. “Hey, wake up. It’s time for you to go home.”
He lazily opened his eyes and stared up at her. “What is it? Can’t you see I’m tryin’ to sleep here?”
“That’s precisely why I woke you up, idiot. You need to go home. This isn’t a hotel.”
“Right, right.” He sat up and crossed his legs, staring toward the wall that had their school’s name written on a scroll hanging from it.
“Why are you even here?”
“I’m a part of club, idiot.”
Hikari’s brow creased and she had to hold herself back from punching him. “Are you now? I don’t seem to recognize you.”
“Aww, I guess Princess Hikari can’t be expected to know all of her subjects.”
Hikari felt her body heat up with anger. “Well,” she said through gritted teeth, “if you’re part of the club, you should know that activities for today are over. You should have gone home by now.” She waited for a response. When she didn’t get on, she sighed. “Why is it that you are sleeping here anyway?”
“I lost again, so I just sat around and eventually just lied here and fell asleep. I guess I was more tired than I thought.”
Hikari was taken aback for a moment. There was no way he could be serious. “’Lost again?’”
He gave her an annoyed look. “You serious? You’re supposed to be the vice-captain. You’re duties do cover a bit more than just showing up.”
“Yeah, I help the captain set up fights between members and sometimes other schools. Wait a minute, now I remember. You’re that idiot--”
“Hey.”
“--that challenges the captain every day. Of course, you lose every single time.” Hikari patted his shoulder. “Sora, right? To tell the truth, I almost feel bad for you.”
“Gee, thanks, but if it makes you feel better it doesn’t bother me too much.”
A few seconds passed in silence before Hikari asked, “Why do you bother challenging him every day if you just lose?”
Sora turned around. “What should that matter to you? You didn’t even know my name up until a moment ago.”
Hikari shrugged. “You do have a point, I suppose. I guess my interest was piqued.” She straightened up and started to walk toward the door. “If you don’t want to share I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“Wait, I’ll tell you.” Sora coughed as Hikari stopped and turned around. A mischievous smile had spread across her face.
She laughed. “Go on.” She folded her arms.
Sora cleared his throat. “I guess it has more to do with a dream of mine to defeat the captain.” He pulled his knees a bit closer to him and propped his arms on them.
“A dream to beat the captain, huh? Seems like a one-sided rivalry, though I guess the captain must be in on this since he agrees to it every day. A bit childish don’t you think?” She shrugged in an exaggerated, almost mocking matter.
“Hmph.” Sora’s voice echoed throughout the training room. “I guess it would sound that way to you.”
Hikari looked out the line of windows that faced the setting sun. The orange light that poured into the room was slowly darkening. “What more is there?”
He stretched and stood up. A yawn escaped him as he walked toward the windows. “I was bullied a lot when I was younger. I was the weird kid in class, ya know? The kid everyone wanted to make fun of.”
“And they don’t anymore?”
Sora stopped for a moment so that he could glare her way. “They picked on me and that led to me picking fights.”
“Fights you couldn’t win, huh? Let me guess, the captain eventually helped you. It does seem like something he would do.”
He held his hands out in a kind of exaggerated shrug. “Yeah yeah. I wanted to be stronger and I wanted to fight him. So I challenged him”
Hikari laughed a bit under her breath. “You lost didn’t you?”
“Of course, but that didn’t really discourage me. You can see that even now. I doesn’t really discourage me though.”
Hikari had a hard time believing what she was hearing. How could someone be so laid back? She thought of herself, how she took everything she did seriously. School work, her social life, studying, and even her club activities. She’d have probably been the captain by now if it was for Ryu’s strength and skill. She would become the captain once Ryu, a third-year, graduated at the end of the year. Yet Sora seemed like someone who just skated through his decisions, not really giving much thought to anything.
“I want to keep coming back to fight him every day. Until I win, I will keep challenging him. It gives me something to look forward to, to fight for.” Sora reached out toward the setting sun and attempted to grasp it in his palm. It disappeared behind a building, leaving the room in the dim light of twilight. Hikari thought that he must’ve been one of those kids who spent too much time watching anime.
“It looks like your dream has escaped your grasp again.” Hikari picked up her bags and hefted them on her shoulders.
“That’s fine. Tomorrow will come yet again along with another chance at getting my dream.” He smiled. It was a gentle smile and Hikari couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful at how enthusiastic he was.
“Right, well I think it’s time we leave. It’s getting late.”
Sora just nodded a response and slipped by her. She stared back into the empty room. It seemed so large to her as she slid the door closed.
“A club, huh?” A first-year Hikari stood outside her classroom. She was staring up at the bulletin board she’d passed on the way out.
“Are you thinking about joining one? You can join the photography club. We’re looking for members right now.” It was another girl from her class. Her smile was much to wide for talking to someone she didn’t really know. It irritated Hikari to see someone smiling for no reason.
“No thanks. I don’t have time to do anything like that.” It was true. Outside of school and studying at home, Hikari didn’t have much free time. Her mother wanted her to maintain her standing at the top of the class.
“Well at least take the flyer, just in case you reconsider.” Hikari took it but ended up throwing it away on her way out. Photography seemed too boring to her. If she did take a club, it would have to be more physical. Something that would break the monotony of sitting at the desk all day. With that thought, she sighed.
“Something bothering you?”
The voice startled her. She clutched her chest as she turned to face the speaker. Black hair that loosely fell in front of green eyes. The guy wore a smile across his square jaw. She noticed he was wearing a karate outfit. “Sorry, did I scary you?”
“No…of course not.” Hikari snapped at him.
“Sorry. You just seemed kinda down.”
“Well, what business is that of yours?”
“None, I guess, but I find it’s better to talk to someone if something’s bothering you.” He folded his arms and leaned against the shoe lockers.
Hikari was taken by surprise. No one usually cared. “I guess I’m just a bit stressed.”
“Ah, aren’t we all,” he laughed as though it was funny. “I find exercise is best for that. A good reason to be in a club right?”
“I suppose.” Hikari just waved it off with a flick of her wrist. She hefted her back and started to leave before the boy stopped her.
“You shouldn’t throw the idea aside so easily. Why don’t you join the karate club with me? You never know, you might actually be good at it.”
Hikari turned and shot him a half-cocked smile. “Please, I know I’d be good at it.”
The boy just laughed at her cockiness. “Then why don’tcha prove it?”
“Hmph, fine. I will join and show you. I’m good at everything I put my mind to.”
He walked past her and toward the entrance. “I look forward to seeing you. I have to go now, but I hope to see you soon.”
Hikari turned as he walked past, “Wait…who are you?”
“Ryu. I’m the captain of the club you just joined.”
After that impromptu decision, Hikari quickly showed Ryu that she’d been right. She’d been slow at first but refused to let that keep her from doing better than those around her. She didn’t take second, except to Ryu. No matter what, he was always better. It did little to discourage her though, and she’d become the vice-captain by the time she entered her second year.
After her conversation with Sora, Hikari had trouble concentrating on anything. His enthusiasm was somewhat foreign to her. It also had her thinking about some things. She remembered the reason that she joined as something of a challenge she’d received from Ryu. Why did she keep going back everyday though. She’d become complacent and let the club become a part of her life, an escape to get away from the hum-drum life of studying.
She released a loud sigh as she lied down on her bed. “Why is it that that idiot‘s words are affecting me so much?” She posed the question to herself. “How can he just keep coming back every day? Is it really just because of that dream?”
Sora’s words continued to play in his mind. Something to fight for. Hikari tried to think of something she had but couldn’t really come up with anything. Daily life was simple. Wake up, brush teeth, eat breakfast, go to school, go to the club, come home, eat dinner, study, brush teeth, and then go to sleep. Rinse, repeat. His losing streak continued every day yet he could keep fighting.
It occurred to Hikari then that she might actually be a bit envious. “Jealous of that idiot? Maybe I’m studying too hard.” She rolled over and fell asleep.
Hikari plopped her bags down into her cabinet, waving at a couple of the first-years as she walked into the training room where most of the twenty-one members were gathered. She had trudged through her normal school day and being in the club didn’t lift her spirits much more.
She knew Sora would come back for the daily challenge, knew he would lose, but now she felt like she was looking for to it. Maybe she just wanted to watch someone actually fight for something. That’s when she thought to herself: maybe she’d let herself become too complacent. The challenge that the club had presented when she’d first joined had faded. It was now just a part of the routine.
That depressed her.
“Ryu!” the voice perked her up, “Shall we start our daily match?”
“So you’ve come again, Sora?” Ryu had a smile on his face as he mocked his friend. “Yeah, let’s begin.”
The two of them readied up in front of everyone and Hikari couldn’t stop herself. “Wait!” Everyone stopped and turned toward her. “I will fight you today Sora.”
Sora just stared back at her, “Hikari? Why?”
She couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She wasn’t sure why either, but she felt excited. “Well, if you can’t beat me then you could never beat our captain.”
An arrogant smirk flashed across Sora’s face. “I suppose you’re right. Fine then, I accept your challenge.”
“I hope you’re ready.” Hikari readied herself.
“Always. Ichi.”
Way too much anime. “Two.”
“San-shine.”
“Four.”
Tension sparked through the air as the two of the yelled, “Go!”
No comments:
Post a Comment