Chapter Text
[Japan, 1985 – Nakadai Boxing Gym ]
The heavy thud of gloves against the punching bag echoed through the gym, rhythmic and relentless. Date Eiji, twenty years old, sharp-eyed and all fire, was pushing himself again, as always, like he had something to prove. And he did. The title match was finally within reach. Ricardo Martinez. Undefeated. Untouchable. But Eiji was determined to change that.
Leaning quietly against the wall, towel in hand, Hana Shinonome watched him from the corner of the gym. She was only eighteen, small compared to the fighters around her, but steady. She knew this place like the back of her hand. It had become her second home, not because she belonged here, but because Eiji did.
She stepped forward with a light voice, the one she used to soften his stubbornness.
- “Eiji… you need to rest. You’re going to burn out.”
He looked up, sweat dripping down his temples, chest rising fast.
- “Hana, come on. I’m this close to the world title. You really think I can calm down right now?”
She held out the towel anyway, expression unreadable. He always said things like that — loud, passionate, impatient. It used to make her laugh. Now, it just made her heart ache.
- “I’ll bring that title back to Japan,” he added, wiping his face. “For the gym… and for Aiko.”
Aiko. The name was a slap, even if it didn’t mean to be. Hana’s fingers tensed slightly around the water bottle she’d brought him.
- “…Aiko, huh…”
He didn’t catch her tone. He never did.
Anyway, it didn’t matter. Hana had known for a long time that her feelings for Eiji would never leave the ground. He was a fighter. He loved the ring more than anything else — and Aiko was the one waiting for him outside it. Not her.
Trying to shake the heaviness, she cleared her throat.
- “Did you tell her yet? About Mexico?”
- “Ah. I should probably do that…”
- “Unbelievable,” she muttered, handing him the water. “What would you even do without me?”
He smirked, catching his breath.
- “You’re not exactly delicate yourself, you know. But seriously, thanks. I’m glad you’re around.”
Her heart tightened at the softness in his voice, but she didn’t let it show. Not anymore.
- “I swear, sometimes you drive me crazy…”
He tilted his head, suspicious. “Wait… we leave for Mexico?”
- “Mhm.” She smiled smugly. “You didn’t think I’d let you fly across the world without me, did you?”
- “Hana. Are you sure? Mexico’s not Tokyo. It’s dangerous. You don’t speak the language—”
- “Oh, the great Date Eiji suddenly worried about me?”
- “I’m serious. You’re just a kid.”
Just a kid.
Her smile faltered. He didn’t mean to hurt her, he never did, but it stung all the same.
“I’m not a kid anymore. I’ll manage. I want to see you win, Eiji. I want to be there when it happens.”
He looked at her for a second, studying her face. Then he grinned, boyish and bright.
- “Haha, that’s the Hana I know. Then I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Maybe not, she thought. But I do.
[February 1986 – Hana’s apartment]
The suitcase lay open on her bed, half-packed, half-chaos. Hana stood in front of it, arms crossed, eyes flicking across her checklist. Gloves, notepads, hair ties, Japanese snacks for the plane everything was in order. Almost.
Her mother stood quietly in the doorway, watching her daughter with a mixture of pride and deep unease.
- “Hana… are you sure about this?” she asked gently. “You don’t speak Spanish. You’ve never even left Japan…”
Hana looked up from her suitcase and smiled, a little tightly.
- “I’ll be fine, mama. I’m just going for the match. It’s work.”
Her mother hesitated.
- “But Eiji won’t always be there. He has his own life now. You… you know that, right?”
The question cut deeper than it should have. Hana pretended not to hear it, turned back to the mess on her bed, and reached for a small notebook on her dresser.
- “I’ll be okay,” she said more softly. “I’ll figure things out. Besides… maybe I’ll start learning.”
She flipped through the notebook’s blank pages, imagining herself walking foreign streets, hearing unfamiliar sounds, catching pieces of conversation she didn’t understand. It scared her. But it excited her too.
Later that night, with her passport in hand and her suitcase finally closed, she left for the airport.