Left kick in the air.

  Itsuki’s right hand moved towards my head.

  I leaned right and then turned around to free myself from his tall frame trying overpower me.

  He quickly reacted following my moves to doge him.

  Our eyes were blindfolded. The sounds of our feet on the soft mattress could be heard. Squeaking and pushing on the weight of ours.

  I felt a wind of movement from my right lower side.

  Itsuki is aiming for my body trying to unsettle me.

  I stood my ground and used my hands to push it away but his hands interjected. At the moment of the hit, holding my hands in tighter grip against Itsuki’s hands I anchored my body swiftly evading his move. Then I proceeded to try to twist his hands but that made him hold on to me even stronger.

  A tight spot but not evadable.

  I pulled myself backwards, my back touching the strips of the ring. I used that as my opening. With my head moving forwards trying to headbutt Itsuki.

  He noticed my move and let go of the grip freeing my hands.

  I used that as an opportunity to swing and run at him pushing him in what felt like a middle of the ring.

  He did manage to stop my push and aimed at my legs to startle my stance again.

  This time I jumped up to evade, whilst still holding on to his hands. I pulled his body inwardly towards me.

  He chuckled at my unusual move but managed to evade by removing himself from my grip and stepping backwards.

  “Are you really that rusty?” His voice sounded like he was humoring me.

  “I really am.” I answered.

  Still focused. I did not let his words distract my focus.

  I could hear a squeak from the mat as the feet were running towards me.

  Itsuki was trying to catch me but I evaded him again by stepping two big leaps left and turning my body around to face him.

  By facing, I meant the position my senses thought we were standing. It was easy to deduct from the mattress weight.

  “This really is a bad place to do this.” I said to him while slightly moving my legs, the mattress squeaked once again.

  This made Itsuki laugh out loud.

  “Yeah…this is kind of terrible.” He agreed.

  I proceed to remove my blindfold.

  Itsuki had already removed his own and dropped it on the floor outside the ring.

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  I could see him trying to run at me without a warning. It made me drop my blindfold on the mattress at my feet.

  I jumped and leaped in the right direction to evade him which he closely anticipated and tried to take me in.

  I did not let him.

  I felt the press against my back, I was cornered in the ring's corner.

  Itsuki had managed to position his body in a way that I had no escape from him.

  I looked up at his yellow cat-like stare. His face was close to mine. Focussed and locked on me like I was a lamb. Soon to be caught and devoured.

  Though, I was no lamb.

  I stepped more backwards with both hands behind me. Then I moved swiftly both of my legs up in a straight line till my body fully weighed on my hand strength, allowing me to jump right over the level of the ring. I jumped backwards, outside the ring on the cold hard gym floor.

  Itsuki did not follow me, staring at me from his position.

  “Don’t break your neck!” He spoke up from my unsafe landing on my back.

  My head was inches away from a shelf of dumbbells.

  “It’s all g..good.” I noted as I felt stings of pain coming out of my butt.

  “That's a rather bad landing.” Itsuki shook his head and proceeded to leave the ring by pulling one string upwards and casually leaning it and jumping it down.

  He came to me holding out his hand.

  “Never do that again!” He told me while shaking his head.

  “I won’t!” In pain, I took Itsuki’s hands and let him help me to pull me up and stand up.

  Once I stood, I felt that pain go on all over my back.

  “I told you...I am rusty!” I said as our hands parted.

  My hand moved to my butt where the pain felt the most.

  “Are you okay to walk?” He asked me slightly worried.

  “In a few minutes.” I replied.

  That last move was dumb. I am not sure why I panicked like this, but being in that position made me jump away as fast as I could.

  “I guess our fun has ended.” Itsuki let out a long sigh and proceeded to move away from me. He walked where our shoes and coats were and put them on. Then he sat down on a chair. His eyes were staring at me.

  I took one step. The pain was still there but somehow movement made it less hurtful.

  One step after another I moved where Itsuki sat and reached out for my shoes, I sat down and proceeded to put them on.

  “It will pass eventually.” I said as if it was nothing.

  Itsuki only chuckled at my response.

  Then he looked away from me, staring at the empty gym equipment.

  It still felt very odd that we were the only ones here in this big space.

  “You know…you make me feel good about myself.” Itsuki started to speak self assuring words.

  I was still tying my shoes.

  “I feel like we are similar in a way.” He kept talking.

  “What do you mean?” Once I finished tying my shoes I looked up at him.

  His eyes trailing somewhere in the distance away.

  “I can’t really explain this in words…it’s like a feeling…a sixth sense telling me to be close to you.” Itsuki said. His voice felt rather distant.

  “You want to be close to me?” I raised an eyebrow.

  Itsuki nodded very slowly.

  A silence came as he did not speak anymore. Seemingly he was losing himself in his own thoughts. Not elaborating or sharing anything else with me.

  I did not press it either.

  From him somehow I sensed there was no logical explanation for any of his words.

  “Right!” Like snapping out of his daze. Itsuki gave me a happy smile.

  “It’s time for that heavy stuff.” He said and proceeded to get up.

  “Is it now?” I asked more rhetorically.

  “It’s right here in this building, upstairs.” He told me where we were going.

  I did not respond. Simply took my coat in my hands and followed wherever Itsuki was leading me to.

  “What happened to Em?” I could not hide my curiosity about that girl.

  Itsuki kept walking, looking forward.

  “She was in a tragic accident. I happened to be there and saved her.” Itsuki replied. “She doesn’t remember her life before it happened.” Itsuki explained to me.

  “Oh? Is her chin made from metal?” I asked shamelessly.

  “Yeah…once every while she needs to repair it…as she is growing need different sizes. Turns out of all of the places this is the only one that can provide the kind of technology that helps her survive.” Itsuki told me.

  “You don’t sound very happy about it…” I saw an emotion in the tone he said.

  Itsuki stopped in his steps. He did not look at me but stared in the distance.

  For a moment he did not do anything.

  I waited on him.

  A full ninety seconds passed, he looked over at me.

  “Mind your own busines…” He warned me, then moved on. “Let’s go!”

  The odd way his tone changed. I felt like I had stumbled onto something.

  Itsuki…I will figure you out!

  I followed after him.

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