A Single Black Rose (An Ikemen Revolution Fanfiction)

Chapter 4. Finding My Place

The next morning, we were woken up at 5:30 sharp for breakfast at 6 o'clock. When I had awoke, Skylar had already changed into his uniform and was combing his hair. "Morning, Husky," he greeted.

"Yeah... morning," I groaned.

"Not a morning person, hm?" he remarked. I shook my head then went to the bathroom with my uniform in my arms. Groggily, I changed into my crisp, new uniform then brushed my teeth. Skylar was lounging on the couch when I re-entered the room. Switching my pyjamas for a hairbrush, I continued my morning routine. As I was putting my hair in a braid, Skylar piped up; "Do you like styling your hair?"

"Hmm, not really. I know a few styles of braids that my mother taught me, but I only really do it to keep my hair out of the way."

"May I offer to style it for you sometime?"

"If the occasion ever calls for it," I replied. "What was that nickname, by the way? Husky?"

"Just a quirk of mine," he smirked. In response, I let out an exaggerated sigh, which we both shared a laugh over. "You almost ready? Breakfast is in a few minutes." With his light prompting, I finished up and we headed to the dining hall. The room was almost full by the time we arrived. Skylar and I got our food, then made our way to our table. The guys from last night had quieted down, though they continued to curse with their eyes. Whenever Skylar's gaze fell upon them, they would back down like scared puppies.

After breakfast, we all filtered out onto the training grounds which were rapidly becoming familiar to us. Skylar stayed by my side the entire time and we shared light conversation. Edgar and Zero were our supervisors for the day once again. 

"After observing you all yesterday, we will be assisting in refining your techniques," Edgar announced. "Zero and I will each be taking half of you so we can provide more individual feedback. Those who will be training with me are Jasper, Vincent, Cyrus, Noah, Miles, and lucky last, Alina." 

Upon hearing my name, Zero shot a look of confusion at Edgar. Edgar's lips curled in response, to which Zero narrowed his eyes further, though he ultimately dropped the issue. 

"The other half of you will have the privilege of training under Zero," Edgar subtly teased. "Now that that's all out of the way, why don't we commence?" Skylar lightly nudged me, mouthing "good luck" before joining the others following Zero. "This way," Edgar directed to the remainder of us.

"To simulate more realistic situations, I will have you spar against a partner and alternate between offence and defence. I have paired you as such: Miles and Vincent, Cyrus and Noah, Jasper and Alina; the former of each shall begin on the offensive," Edgar announced. Hearing this, Jasper let out a quiet scoff, but he acquiesced. 

We broke off into our pairs and Edgar drifted between all of us. I readied my sword as I faced my opponent. There was something bloodthirsty in his gaze as he stared me down. Without warning, he lunged at me. His ravenous movements mirrored his violent stare. Whilst frantically blocking and dodging his strikes, I quickly noticed how he exclusively aimed for my neck, chest, and abdomen. 'Does he want me dead? It's only training, why is he going in for the kill?' In retaliation, I began to parry his attacks, but the power behind his strikes continued to strengthen. Thankfully, Edgar approached us before things could get out of hand. "My, my, I'm delighted you are enthused by our training." He wasted no time getting right into business. "You appear to be well versed in fatal points; however, your precision is lacking. You are already aiming for lethal points, so ensuring your attacks land with accuracy will increase your efficiency," he explained to Jasper. "Now, Alina, you frequently avoid attacks moving on your toes. While this is beneficial to gain the offensive, you need to practice true defending. Imagine you are in a tight alleyway and have a less than optimal range of movement. Ground yourself and focus your energy towards blocking strikes. Again!"