𝟳 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦『𝗺𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗮𝘁𝘀𝘂𝗺𝘂』

Strength

From the moment Akari was born into this world, she fought every second of it. Her deceased mother used to say that pale and colorless with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck tightly, but even as a newborn, Akari fought and lived.

After the doctors removed her umbilical cord, she started having color and cried with all her might. She was a miracle then and there. Her small infant mind must've thought that her fight was the end.

But it wasn't. After her mother died from giving birth, Akari was taken in and raised by her father's family. Everyday she had to be slapped both literally and emotionally by the fact that she was an outsider.

Akari wanted to leave that household for so long but her ever loving father was the sole reason she didn't have any resolve to leave everything behind. Instead, Akari began wanting and doing everything she can to be strong enough.

Every day after school, she would go to a neighbor's dojo and learn martials arts from the retired martial artists living there. The old man admired that for her young age, she had that will to become strong, and accepted her whole heartedly as a pupil.

But of course, the life of hers was pretty unlucky when Akari's teacher got involved in a street fight where he gambled his dojo. He lost both his life and their precious place to some underhanded tricks. Anger boiled up again inside Akari as she swore she would get that back.

That started her career in street fighting. She was skilled, agile and clearly fearless. She knew a lot of techniques from quietly learning outside martial arts classes in their area, and used that to dominate the stage in where she used to live.

In her last year in middle school, Akari met another kind soul who often played with her brother in the playground. A happy-go-lucky kind of person which always relaxed her having him around. And soon enough she began getting close to him.

But then again, her happiness was cut short when the boy was bullied for being friends with her and moved out to another place somewhere in Japan. At that point on, Akari never really wanted to get involved with anyone anymore.

She always ended up hurting them and hurting herself more when they leave. She was fed up.

Akari started earning money as people placed bets on her during her fights. She wasn't invulnerable and would often get bruises and cuts all over her body, but hell she was tough. Earning enough money to fend for herself, two months after she became a 2nd year high schooler, Akari ran away from home.

She had enough money to afford a cheap apartment just a few walks away from school, and had the budget to last for at least a year without fighting. Akari wanted a peaceful life at that point. She had grown tired of fighting and beating up people senseless, especially when she lost a reason to fight for.

A few months in Inarizaki had her content living in peace. She wanted to get away from her past somehow and managed to do well with the help of the one guy she met at a park again. Atsumu had her feeling normal and calm again. She felt no need to act tough or pretend that she was strong around him.

But people she fought before would occasionally follow her secretly whenever she was with Atsumu and the gang. Infuriated, Akari went back to her way and beat up every single one. She finally had something to protect again, if she couldn't do it back then, she wanted to make sure that this time she would.

Even if Atsumu notices the bruises she would end up having, Akari just had to lie and keep protecting him and her friends from harm. She wasn't planning on telling him, especially after she just realized that she was in love with the blonde. Who would want a girlfriend like her? Akari was content on staying as a side friend for Atsumu.

Then it came.

The sudden news of her father needing surgery. She always knew he had a fragile heart and did her best not to cause him any trouble, which was one of the reasons she ran away. They needed money fast. What's a better way to earn money just by challenging Hyogo's Underground Highschool Champion?

-

Akari nervously waited inside the room, her fists wrapped with bandages as she rested her forehead on her knuckles.

"Are you sure you want to go up against that guy, Red?" Said a man with a business suit and entered the closed space.

A faint smile painted Akari's eyes as she heard the stage name she prepared whenever she fought.

With burning eyes of determination, the girl nodded and got up on her feet. She began stretching again, making sure that none of her muscles would cramp up during the fight.

"Be careful out there Red."

"Yes. I will finish this quickly" she bid her farewell and slowly walked out of the door, shutting it behind her.

The cheers of the few audience they have roared in that small arena as soon as she stepped out and her flaming red orange hair was in sight. But she ignored it. Akari's eyes was fixed on the 6 foot tall man standing inside the ring, smirking menacingly at her.

Returning the gestured, Akari held her head up high and entered the ring.

From here on, Akari doesn't exist, Red and only Red.