The New Ajin

Chapter Seventeen

"What are you doing?" I heard Kou's voice in the background.

I was laying down on the floor doing push ups, "this is what exercise looks like, dimwit."

Kou was sitting against the truck wall. He then sighed loudly, moved around, and laid down next to me.

I rolled my eyes as his technique went down the drain on the tenth count.

"You do this for fun?" He asked.

"No. I do this to win," I grunted as I finished the hundred rep. I collapsed on the ground. My arms ached as if they were on fire and I felt the salty sweat dripping down my nose.

Kou fell on his knees and then straightened his wobbly legs out again.

"You... did... 100... off your knees?" He said through huffs of air.

I rolled off my stomach to my butt and started doing sit ups.

"Before I took a break I could do two hundred off my knees," I said.

"What are you even?" Kou fell back on his knees.

"I was a fighter. Still am," I said.

"I could tell that much," Kou gave up and laid on his stomach.

"I should work on my strength building, huh?" He nervously laughed and scratched the back of his neck.

"Probably," I said.

I stopped doing my sit ups and started stretching.

I had my feet extended in front of me and touched my toes. I was able to wrap my fingers around my ankles. I flexed my feet then pointed my feet like a dancer would.

"Now what are you doing?" Kou asked.

"Stretching," I said.

"I could see that. Why, though?" He asked.

"So I could be flexible," I answered. 

"Why?" he asked. 

I stopped stretching and stared at him, "why are you asking me questions?"

"Because I am trying to make conversation?" he shrugged his shoulders.

I looked away from him and continued reaching for my toes, "I stretch so that when I fight I could be the best I could be."

"Why do you fight?" he asked next. I gave him a look and he smiled slightly. 

"I..fight," I looked away from him and at the truck's wall. Why did I fight? Fighting was easy for me. It all felt so natural.

"I was good at it," ended up leaving my mouth. 

"You were good at fighting," he chuckled, "I could tell."

"Why is that funny to you?" I asked. 

"No, no, it's not like that," he said, "you were the only girl that showed up to that meeting. When we were running for our lives I thought to myself how I had to protect you but as it turned out, you have saved me more times than I have and will probably ever save you."

"You're welcome?" I raised an eye brow.

"Yes, thank you, thank you," he smiled.

Awkward silence roamed over us and we looked away from each other.

"How long do you think he is going to keep us in here?" Kou suddenly asked. 

"For as long as he needs to in order to conceal his identity," I said, "He's smart. This is the best route for him to take that he sees at the moment."

"He's too smart for his own good," Anger laced his voice as he spoke this. 

"He has no emotions," I added. 

Kou nodded his head. 

"But...maybe it's for the best. For him," I said, "we are in here and he is living a regular life, or as regular as it could be for him."

"It must be lonely, though," Kou said. 

He kept on talking but I had tuned him out as a livid image of Naoki appeared in my mind. 

I missed him, missed him much more than I had wanted to admit to myself. He had been there for me and would have continued to follow me yet I left him. I left him thinking it would be for the best.

"Who's Naoki?" Kou asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"What?" 

"You mumbled Naoki right now," he said, "who is he?"

"No one," I said, "I'm done talking." 

I laid down on my stomach and started doing more push ups. 

***

Helloooooooooooo!

Aye so I just won districts for wrestling this past Saturday. So districts is city and I am off to regional and then hopefully State and THEN I AM DONE. I AM FREE.

I love wrestling, it had honestly changed my life, but I am so tired of watching my weight. 

Not to be gross, but every time something goes in or out of my body, I need to weigh myself. It gets tiresome but I do it because I love the sport. 

But two more weeks and then updates will be more regular. 

Okay, I'm done talking. lol.

With love,

Savannah