~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."
Budo sighed. "It's Ayano. I...I'm just confused." He toyed with the ends of his bandanna. "Confused, upset, and alone."
Sho placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your not alone," Mina said, giving him a firm, encouraging smile. "Senpai, you are not alone." Budo smiled at her, admiring the courage in her voice. "I know Sho is in a relationship, right Sho?" she said, glancing over at him. He nodded, not seeming embarrassed at all. "Supana and I have been together for a while now. Sometimes it can be difficult knowing where you stand in the relationship; if you are really, truly appreciated, or if your just a side character chasing around an angel that will never turn around and see you for who you truly are."
Mina nodded her head firmly. "I chose to be alone because I like being single; I like being strong and independent. If someone had feelings for me, it would take me a while to process everything, and I'm not sure what I'd say depending on who the person is."
"What she's trying to say," Sho added, "is that everyone is different. We all have our own paces in life, and trust me, you'll know if you and Ayano are meant to be. You'll know."
Sho gave him one last pat on the back before walking out of the doors. Mina waved goodbye, following him, leaving Budo alone in the Martial Arts room. He thought about what they had said, his mind fluttering into another dream of Ayano. He shook his head, scowling. It's time you take a break from all this. Just do something you enjoy.
He eyed the punching bag hanging from ceiling of the far side of the room. He loved Martial Arts. He loved it. But he also loved Ayano. Ayano has feelings for someone else, he reminded himself. He untied his black belt, folding it neatly on one of the side tables near the corners of the room, and pulled off his karategi, which he laid next to his black belt. Budo had been working out every day, since Martial Arts was a strong passion of his. He tried not to brag about his extremely well fit form, the hardened biceps and abs that blended perfectly with his reputation as a Martial Arts master. He didn't see himself as too strong or too weak, just average, which he considered to be right on his level.
Budo eyed the punching bag hanging against the wall, raising his fists in ready position. Within seconds, he had delivered several lightning fast blows to the middle and upper areas of the bag, also doing several different styles of kicks. The chain rattled wildly on the ceiling, and he continued to deck the bag repeatedly, sweat beading around his skin. A few determined grunts escaped him, and he was soon smiling, doing spin kicks and complex punch patters, even throwing in a few chops and double kicks as well. He danced around the punching bag, sacking and decking with his fists, then using the sides of his hands to knock it into the air. When it swung back around, he did a lightning fast round of repeated spin kicks, round kicks, picot kicks, and double kicks, and then did one of his signature moves he didn't have a name for. He had taught it to Sho one day after class just for fun. He stopped when dust from the ceiling fell from the area around the chain, signaling that it was time to stop.
Budo stepped back, panting hard. He used his palm to wipe the sweat from his brow, breathing heavily. He desperately needed water, and so he swung open the doors, walking down the halls to find the nearest water fountain. It wasn't against the dress code to go shirtless in his case; the Swim club and Martial Arts club had exceptions made when they were not wearing their uniforms if they were passing through the school. Of course, when class started, everyone was required to wear their uniforms. Yet Budo still felt awkward as he felt Oka's eyes on him from the doorway of the Occult club.
"Masuta," Aoi snarled as he shuffled past her. He stopped, wondering why he always seemed to cower around her. He was a proud leader, wasn't he? So what if she's in the Student Counsil, no one should be treated like that. Besides, he knew Kuroko would have his back, and if Kuroko would, then Megami would. And nobody wants to pick a fight with Megami.
He turned around slowly, allowing Aoi to realize that someone was behind her. She turned around too, facing him with her one eye. "What now, Masuta," she said grimly, shoving her hands in her pockets. Budo crossed his arms. He was done with her.
"It's senpai to you," he said, and she shifted her stance a little. "Listen Aoi, I don't understand why your so negative and harsh towards me. I don't believe myself or others deserve to be treated like this. I understand your unique personality, and I know you have had a rough past, put that gives you no right to take out your feelings on me. I am asking you to stop."
He finished, strongly and firmly. It was all Aoi needed to be silenced. "Alright," she said after a moment of silence, using a softer tone that he'd never heard before. "I'll see you tomorrow then, senpai." And she turned on her head and walked down the stairs. It was at that moment that he heard a voice.
"Budo-senpai?"
Budo froze. It was a heavenly voice, a voice that lifted him off of his feet and swept him away in a daydream. He turned around to face Ayano.
"Aishi-san," he said, a bit confused. He knew that she was trying very hard to focus on his eyes and not on his body, as most people did. But he could feel a sense of sincerity in her glossy eyes, the shine that sparkled gorgeously in any lighting. She lowered her head, and Budo wished that he could see her eyes again, the way they sparkled and glowed like the brightest stars in the heavens.
"I used to like him. I used to like Taro. But not anymore," she said quietly, fidgeting with her hands. "I...when I was watching him, it just didn't feel....right," she said, Budo's cheeks flushing with color. "But....but I think now I found the right person," she finished softly, raising her head to meet his eyes again. Budo couldn't wait any longer. Just do it. Tell her.
"I love you, Aishi-san," he said, stepping forward, taking her hands in his. "I love you more than anything else in the world."
Ayano looked shocked. Her cheeks blushed violently, the strands of silky black hair swaying softly against her face.
"I love you too, Budo-senpai."
That was all it took. A simple sentence, a single phrase. It was all it took to make his heart melt, to make his eyes water.
It was all it took to make the mighty, proud, strong hero fall weak on his knees and collapse on the ground.
And then darkness.