Chapter 2 — The Boy Everyone Warned Me About
625 Words
Mia
I learned two things quickly.
The first:
Kendo hurt.
The second:
Ren Takahashi made everything look easy.
While I struggled through basic movements, he moved like he was part of the sword itself.
Every strike was controlled.
Every step was perfect.
It annoyed me.
Mostly because I wanted to be that good.
“You’re thinking again.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
Ren pointed at my feet.
“You stopped moving.”
I looked down.
I had.
I sighed.
“You always notice everything?”
A small smile appeared.
“When you’re training someone, you have to.”
Someone.
The word shouldn’t have bothered me.
But it did.
Because I didn’t want to be just another student.
I wanted to matter.
───
Over the next few weeks, I improved.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
I stopped losing immediately.
I started landing points.
And people stopped looking at me like I was a mistake.
Mostly.
But there was still one person who watched me differently.
Kai Nakamura.
The first time I saw him fight, I understood why everyone talked about him.
He didn’t fight.
He controlled.
His opponent attacked.
Kai waited.
A second.
A breath.
Then one perfect strike.
The entire room went silent.
The referee raised his hand.
“Point!”
Kai bowed.
No celebration.
No smile.
Nothing.
Like winning meant nothing.
I hated that.
Because I couldn’t understand him.
───
“Don’t stare.”
I turned.
Aiko, my best friend, looked amused.
“I wasn’t.”
“You absolutely were.”
I looked back.
Kai was gone.
“I was just curious.”
Aiko laughed.
“That’s how it starts.”
“What?”
“Dangerous boys.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Kai Nakamura is not dangerous.”
Aiko stared at me.
“Mia.”
“What?”
“He looks like he would apologise after destroying your entire life.”
I laughed.
But secretly…
I wondered if she was right.
───
Later that afternoon, I stayed behind to practice.
Everyone left.
The dojo became quiet.
Strike.
Again.
Strike.
Again.
My arms burned.
But I refused to stop.
Because every time I got tired…
I remembered the whispers.
Your father failed.
You’ll fail too.
I attacked harder.
Too hard.
My wrist twisted.
Pain shot through my arm.
I dropped the shinai.
“Idiot.”
I froze.
I turned.
Kai stood behind me.
“What did you say?”
He walked closer.
“You’re injured.”
“I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed.
“That’s a lie.”
I hated that he knew.
“Why do you care?”
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“I don’t.”
I laughed.
“Then why are you here?”
Silence.
Then he looked at my wrist.
“Because watching someone destroy themselves is irritating.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Wow. You’re really terrible at being nice.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.”
───
He picked up my shinai.
“You hold it wrong when you’re angry.”
I stared.
“You noticed?”
His eyes met mine.
“I notice everything.”
Something about those words unsettled me.
Because Ren noticed when I was training.
Kai noticed when I was hurting.
And I didn’t know which was more dangerous.
───
Before leaving, Kai stopped.
Without looking back, he said:
“Hayashi.”
My heart stopped.
Nobody called me that.
Not my first name.
My family name.
The name attached to my father.
“You shouldn’t fight because of him.”
I froze.
“How do you know?”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Everyone knows.”
Then he walked away.
Leaving me with one question.
How much did Kai Nakamura know about me?
End of Chapter 2
───
- Writer
