Chapter Text
in a world where the gifted lived among the ordinary, two aspiring warriors stuck out from the crowd. these were none other but rui kamishiro and mizuki akiyama, the pair which had been pining over each other for years but neither wanted to make a move. they attended the same academy for the gifted, and despite studying seperate areas of the course, there was always time to shoot yearning glances at each other, which weren't as subtle as they suspected. in fact, their generally ambiguous relationship sparked conversation among the other students.
'rui and mizuki? training together?' questioned tsukasa tenma, another knight who studied the same side of the course as mizuki, after spotting the pair walk into the training fields together.
'i wouldn't say it's unusual,' replied mafuyu asahina, walking alongside tsukasa, 'mizuki often mentions that they train together, something about their complementing fighting techniques.'
'hmmmmm, that's new to me,' answered tsukasa, scrunching his brow in thought, 'i have a hunch that there may be another reason...' tsukasa trailed on to the compelled mafuyu, while the duo in question set up for their training in the fields.
'so, mizuki, it's not quite like you to ask to train with me all of a sudden. you sure that's why you want me here?' the sorcerer asked while dropping his bag by the lockers. the knight paused before answering. deep down, she held a swelling thought about her relationship with rui: his credulous look during fights that made her heart pound, how he never wavered to put his trust in her, the way they always found a way to talk during the day- she wanted much more than what they had now, yet she couldn't muster up the courage to tell him. 'not now, another time, a better time,' she always told herself, but will that right time ever come?
realising she was lost in thought for a while, mizuki replied with a hasty shake of her head as she pulled out her sword from its sheath, while rui put on his cloak, taking a mental note of mizuki's slight hesitation. the pair walked into the fields side by side, making sure that their fight was for practice, as after all the borders of the school restricted their powers already. they took their places opposite each other in a fairly empty area of the field, and mizuki shouted out, 'you ready?'
'always,' rui grinned, 'on the count of three, one, two, three!' - and their fight began.