𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 '𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋, y. itadori

EIGHT

YOU BLOCKED OUT EVERY SINGLE DISTRACTION.

Anything was on your mind previously vanished into thin air. You could only focus on the opponent in front of you. Sometimes your mind went astray. You would internally comment on how your shorts constantly hiked up as you moved. If not that you'd think about how close you almost landed your attacks. For the longest, you've been put on the edge. Your opponent was wielding a long wooden staff while you used two metal sai'. This gave them an advantage with space and range. You haven't been able to get in a solid hit without getting smacked with the stick or having to block an attack.

You threw yourself back when you saw the staff hurled your way. You clicked your teeth as you heard it come into contact with the mat below you. You  pivoted, quickly fixing your stance. You put your arms to your sides and bent them, thrusting them forward. You left your opponent startled, their eyes shifting from your weapons to your face. 'Shit!' You then moved them away, your arms now at your sides and your body bent down.

They tried to get into a position, themselves and their weapon but you didn't give them enough time. You quickly brought your left leg up, throwing a kick their way. They dodged your attack, swishing the staff behind their back. 'She's managed to close our gap.' They glanced behind their shoulder and gasped at how close they were to the edge of the fighting mat. You let your left leg fall before moving it to the side along with your body, pushing yourself up and lifting your right leg in the air. Your left arm swung at the neck of your foe once again.

They barely managed to dodge and stumbled, landing on the heel of their right foot. You quickly repositioned your weapon, flipping it around to the end of the handle before bringing it down on the back of their head. They let out a strained groan hitting the ground with great force. The staff in their hands rolled out of the platform, clattering on the metal floor.

You gracefully landed back on the mat and loosened your grip on your sai's. A playfully smirk played on your face followed by a laugh. "I win, Meme!"

Meme, or Megumi Fushiguro tried to get up from the ground but flinched at the throbbing pain coming from his head. "Did you seriously have to hit me that hard?"

You slyly put your hands on your hips, staring down at him with a confident gaze. "Oh, I'm sorry." you started, "I thought everything was fair game when you smacked me with that long stick of yours."

Megumi pauses when he heard you before looking at you with a look that screamed, 'really?' You let out a childish chuckle, "Didn't peg you for being the dirty type, Meme-chan."

"No matter how you look at that statement, you'll get the same reaction, Ace." he insisted as he stood up. He walked over to the edge of the mat and bent down, grabbing his staff. You watched him straighten himself out and stretch in the corner of the room. You leaned on one leg, your gaze falling to the floor. "Sorry if it hurts too much."

"I should be saying the same thing to you." he turned around, pointing at the growing bruise on your cheek. "I hit you pretty hard too."

You glanced your cheek before shrugging off his claim. "I'll be fine, but treat me to dinner and I'll be even better!"

Megumi sweatdropped making you laugh in response. "I'm kidding, kidding....!" you trailed off, "Not really but seriously."

"Even if I wanted to feed you, I can't. I have to leave to the next town." You rose a brow as you eyed him. "Leaving already? You just got here."

"I didn't come here for a friendly visit-"

"Aww, that just breaks my heart to pieces." You faked sobbed, leaning on the wall for support. You threw your left arm in the arm and placed your right arm on your heart, all the while a single tear rolled down your cheek. "You barely call me anymore, let alone shot me a text. Now you're just breaking my heart to little pieces!"

"You never answer." You froze in place as he continued. "Whenever I call, it goes straight to voicemail and you take forever to text me back."

You awkwardly laughed,

"An hour isn't forever-"

Megumi walked over to his bag at the door of the dojo and started to pack up. He took out a towel and threw it your way, cutting you off as it hit you in the face. "I came here to recover an artifact, a very dangerous one at that. I thought it was in this town but it's actually the next town over."

"Oh?" you perked up, brushing the towel off. "Then let me go with-"

"You can't come with me because you're not a student yet." A small arrow hit your heart when he said that, causing you to drop to the floor dramatically. "Again...you're breaking my heart, Meme."

He rose up, throwing his bag over his shoulder. He turned to the door ready to leave but before that, he said:

"Catch up to me then."