Shadows [Ayando]

Not What You Think

~Budo's POV~

So stupid. So stupid.

Budo turned the corner of the hall, panting, out of breath. So stupid of him. How could he be so blind....so foolish?! Ayano would never like a boy like him. The only person she was attracted to was Taro, his best friend, the one who never showed feelings for anyone. The one who sat at the fountain all day with his nose in a book, yet the one who got the most attention.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Stupid Budo. Stupid stupid stupid--

"Hey Budo....are you okay?" Budo recognized that voice. It was the best friend of the previous leader of the Martial Arts Club, Raibaru. Budo had had a crush on Raibaru for the longest time. They had even gone as far as to involve themselves in a relationship. But when he challenged her for head position of the Martial Arts Club, he never dreamt that he would win, or that her walking away from the Martial Arts Club would be the equivalent of her walking away from him. However, Raibaru wasn't the one speaking. It was her bratty best friend.

"Hey Osana," he said, annoyed. He lifted his head to meet her eyes. They were concerned, yet still shared a slightly friendly atmosphere. "I'm fine, I guess," he said, cracking his neck to the side. Osana fumbled with her pigtails. "Well, okay. It just looked like you were upset, that's all," she finished, and he shrugged, his eyebrows still planted closer to his eyes importantly. "Well, have a nice day," she said, and gave him a soft smile. He smiled back, not meaning any of what his face was saying, and watched as Osana walked past him and into the courtyard. Probably going to go gossip with Raibaru. He made fists with his hands.

"What a tsundere," he muttered under his breath, storming up the stairs to the Martial Arts room. He pushed through the door, his face stern and his fists clenched.

"Whoa, you okay Budo?" Juku asked, startled. "I'm fine, thank you," he said, tightening his bandanna. He changed into his karategi and walked over to his usual position in front of the wall, facing his students. "Today we're going to be focusing on form," he said, crossing his arms. His fingernails dug into his sleeves. Sho and Shima watched him, concerned. "It doesn't matter how bad the kick hurts. We cannot afford sloppiness in Martial Arts. The cleaner, swifter and more firm the kick is, the greater impact it will deal. Everyone find a partner, we will begin sparring now."

Sho walked slowly up to Mina, who was still watching her teacher with concern. Shima paired up with Juku. "On my signal, you will strike your opponent three times. Once with the left arm, once with the right arm, and then you will do a sidekick."

The anger boiling up inside of him was radiating out of his body, he was sure of it. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, so firmly in fact that his toes were turning a flushed shade of red. His cheeks were almost as red as his toes, and his eyes were narrowed, wearing a painfully angry expression.

"Keep your form clean. Commence."

The pairs of students began to spar. Shima blocked one of Juku's strikes, but faltered on the other, taking a hard blow to the shoulder. Budo sighed, shaking his head, holding his head in his hands. He felt a bit better when he watched Sho and Mina fight. They were experienced, having been part of the program for a year longer than the rest. There were no mistakes, and each hit was swift and clean. "Excellent," Budo said, regarding their perfect form. He pushed them for about ten more minutes, urging them to increase their power and speed in each strike. They were all tired, sweat beading on the back of their necks. After a moment of blindness, Budo realized that he was pushing them too hard, and he called off the sparring.

"That's enough for today. You can all leave early, you've all done good work." Shima was the first to change and sprint out the door. Juku followed, while the more mature Sho and Mina took their time. "Are you okay?" Sho asked when he was done changing. Budo nodded, but Mina didn't look convinced. "Come on, Budo. We know when something's going on."