Kurusu and I stood facing each other in the sparring circle, breathing heavily as sweat ran down our bodies. The pads were sticking to my body, and my clothes rumpled from the countless punches and kicks we had exchanged. I quickly wiped my brow of the latest sweat streaming from my forehead. Each breath felt like an effort, my muscles screamed in pain, and my entire body throbbed with soreness.

Astonishingly, we both eagerly threw ourselves into the tumultuous match, contrary to what we had anticipated.

The initial exchanges were clumsy and largely ineffectual as neither of us was accustomed to sparring, let alone with one another. It had been over a decade since I had last engaged in a fight, and I was unsure of Kurusu's history. Judging from his usual composure, he seemed unlikely to have much experience in this domain.

After he had landed the first solid punch to my gut, something ignited in my heart. I gritted my teeth and retaliated with a powerful roundhouse kick connected to his chest. I was about to apologize for the sudden outburst, but he quickly shook his head to quell my apology and started to fight more intensely.

Our inexperience was made evident multiple times, leaving us open for exploitation or going too far. Despite this, neither of us seemed to mind. I felt the release of my repressed emotions and anger in every blow, as clearly visible on his face as on mine. We both sought an adversary to channel our internal struggles for our reasons.

Kurusu must have been aware of this, or perhaps he was not and had acted selfishly. If that were the case, then I wouldn't have any complaints.

I dodged as he lunged at me, but his left arm swung toward my stomach. I quickly shifted out of the way, feeling a sharp sting as it grazed my side. I retaliated with a powerful roundhouse kick, which he blocked with his heavily padded arm, the impact reverberating through the dojo.

Primarily because, right now, fighting felt good.

I backed off, bouncing on my feet to get some distance and watching him warily. I blinked, and he was already charging toward me, throwing a right hook. I tried to block it, but I misjudged the distance, and his fist connected with my shoulder. I cursed at the hot spike of pain that shuddered down my left arm and tried to move away-

-but my legs had decided to give out right then.

I started to topple forward, my energy ebbing away from me until Kurusu caught me. Yet, his arms began to quiver and eventually failed, resulting in us both falling onto the mats in a pile.

Cerea rushed over to us with a look of worry on her face, her shadow blocking out the light of the dojo and enveloping us in her protective embrace. "Master! Aki! Are you alright?!" she exclaimed.

"I'm... whew, I'm good," Kurusu breathed, huffing as he spoke. I felt him shift a little as he turned his head to me. "Aki?"

"Water..." I let out a ragged groan. "Would be... sooooo Gucci."

Cerea's enthusiastic "Of course!" broke the silence between us as she quickly got up and rushed off to get what we needed. Lying there on the floor, exhausted, I felt a strange sense of tranquility; I had pushed myself to the limit, and all I could feel was the dull ache of my body and the steady rhythm of my breaths. At that moment, I felt utterly at peace, with no room for other thoughts or emotions.

At least until curiosity poked its way into my brain.

"You... you said you were... angry, too," I managed to say, in between pants. "What... about?"

Kurusu didn't respond right away. I heard him swallow before he spoke.

"Miia..." he began, his voice torn. Was it from exhaustion or something else? "Said she... she wanted to leave."

I blinked once. And then a couple more times.

"... What?" I asked. Miia, leaving? Absurd. Ridiculous. Why would she want to leave the man she loved, to leave us?

"She... she blamed... herself," Kurusu continued. His breathing was somehow getting less and less steady. "For what her... her mother... did..."

Why would she do that? Sure, she probably knew that her mother would be aggressive, but how could she have known about the poison? About what exactly Layra had planned? It wasn't anyone's fault except for Layra's and mi-

"Which is... funny," Kurusu spoke, cutting off my thoughts. His voice was bitter. "Because I... I blamed myself for... it..."

...

Cerea returned right away, her hands full of two trays of water bottles. Usually, I would have found her care humorous, but I could only express my appreciation and accept the bottle she offered me. She sat beside us protectively, her tail twitching nervously and brushing against my arm. We all drank in silence, gulping the water in the bottles.

"Ku-... Kimihito," I said, licking my lips and grasping another bottle. "It's not your fault."

"I know that," he replied with a bitter laugh. "Logically, I know that. But... I also know I welcomed her into our home and allowed it to happen."

"She's our friend's mom," I said. I felt so tired, and not just in body. "Why would you suspect someone like that?"

"She betrayed your trust, Master," Cerea chimed in solemnly. "Your acceptance, your caring nature... these are admirable traits, ones that draw others to... to love you." I tried to twist my head to look at her face, but she was turned away.

The moments ticked by with none of us saying a word. Finally, the quiet was broken by Kimihito's laughter, thankfully far less bitter than before.

"You truly radiate like the sun, Cerea," he confessed gently. He lifted himself off the mats, the squeaking sound echoing through the room, and looked at us both. "I need you both to try and convince Miia to remain here," he said sternly, a determined look in his eyes. "It's her decision in the end, but I don't want her to go."

I nodded, and Cerea must've done the same since he looked content as he stood up.

"Thanks for indulging me, Aki," Kimihito said with a smile, looking down at me. "Sorry if I roughed you up a bit. I'm going to go wash up now."

As I watched him walk away, I couldn't help but feel that unresolved issues still lingered between us. While it might have been best to leave things unspoken, we all had our emotional baggage and ways of dealing with our traumatic experiences. I was grateful for the chance to release my anger and frustrations and was glad to have that cathartic moment with him.

That still didn't mean I couldn't silently curse him for accidentally dropping another line Cerea's way to make her swoon again. I couldn't see her face, but I could only imagine-

"Do you blame yourself for this too, Aki?" she asked, startling me.

Caught off guard, I swiveled my head towards Cerea, only to find her gazing intently at me. My lips felt dry, so I reached for the water, taking a quick gulp before responding.

"Yes," I told her, staring into her blue eyes. For some reason, right then, I found them rather beautiful. "I do."

"It would seem we are all burdened by guilt this day," Cerea sighed.

"Yeah, that seems to be the common thread," I snorted lightly, though my smile quickly fell. "Look, Cerea, about what Kimihito said..."

"If it is all the same, I shall begin my exercise routine," she cut me off, standing up. "Do you require any further assistance, Juyo?"

I pursed my lips and shook my head. I knew a deliberate retreat when I saw one.

"Very well. Until later, then."

At that, I was left alone for only a few fleeting minutes. By the time I heard the approaching footsteps of the ominous figure of Omran, I had already finished my second bottle. I felt a sudden pang of vulnerability as I quickly sat up and faced him. Before I had a chance to greet him, he spoke first.

"You are the human that Zombina is dating," Omran stated. Noticeably not a question. However, it did catch me off-guard to be suddenly talking about her, of all people, right now. I was barely able to nod in reply before he continued. "You are unusual compared to her previous pursuits."

"... You've known her for a while?" I asked, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Since she turned," Omran answered, folding his immense arms behind his back. "While I was with her through that time, I am keenly aware of the... stages she went through. Can you say the same?"

"Of course not," I said. "I know she turned twenty-one... years ago and fought Enkidu for a long time. And that she was at Roanapur when they were destroyed."

The gargoyle slowly nodded, his grey, slit eyes intensely scrutinizing me. "It's obvious that you are not a warrior. I observed your entire fight with the other human, and although there was some display of skill, it is evident that combat is not your forte."

"... I know that," I said, confused. "What's your point?"

His tail flicked twice as he loomed before me, an impossibly black statue that threatened to bury me in its shadow. "My point, Akihiro Bando," Omran said, his voice dripping with intensity, "is that Zombina's life has been drenched in blood and forged by death, so different from the life you lead. I merely wonder what draws her to you."

What an odd way to phrase it. Could this man have been an ex of Zoe's or something? I wasn't sure, considering he appeared much older than her, even with her extended lifespan. Maybe he was more like a mentor, a father figure, or an old friend.

Regardless of whatever was the case, my answer was the same.

"I often wonder this, too," I replied with a shrug, steadying myself. My legs were still shaking slightly, but I was no longer in danger of toppling over. "I honestly have no idea, though. I care about her, and she seems to feel the same way, so I guess it can't be that difficult."

"A human being so blase about dating an undead," Omran sighed. "Never did I think I'd see such a sight."

My eyes narrowed, and my shoulders tensed up, but I stopped myself from expressing the thoughts swirling in my head. I could feel an aura of potential danger emanating from him, like being around a predatory animal that could devour me in one bite. He had more restraint than some of the other, more volatile liminals I had encountered before, so I knew that speaking out of turn would only lead to trouble. After all, Cerea had seemed to regard him with a tremendous amount of admiration.

"If you're eager to know what she thinks of me, you should ask her yourself," I said calmly as I began to walk away. "Anyway, I'm leaving now. Thanks for allowing us to use the dojo."

"The dojo is always open to those who seek to better themselves," Omran replied. "But not to those who only seek to punish themselves."

Speak plainly, or not at all.

I shook my head and marched onward, determined not to be consumed by self-pity and guilt. I had grown up since the days when I was a whiny kid in middle and high school, believing that if I just wished hard enough, the sadness would magically disappear. While angst had a bad reputation, I realized it had its uses too.

For me, it was fuel to fuel my ambition and drive. My guilt, my self-loathing, and my depression, though they were all parts of me I'd accepted long ago, I refused to let them define me. It was an arduous task, but I was able to channel all of that negativity into something productive, something that I could be proud of.

Kimihito, Cerea, Miia, everyone had their struggles. To think that someone else hadn't experienced the same hardship as you was incredibly conceited. So why not strive to make things better for each other and lift each other rather than fill the air with negative energy? We are all sharing this life, so why not make it something to be cherished?

When I saw Kimihito exiting the bathroom and throwing me a smile, my hands involuntarily balled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. But upon seeing his friendly expression, I quickly relaxed and smiled back.

"You good, man?" I asked him as he moved to walk by my side.

"I'm... well, I'm better," Kimihito admitted. "How about you?"

"Better," I echoed, nodding my head. "Better."

In the end, you get what you give.

To be continued...